Garden Design - Why use a Garden Designer?

“Dahling, I’ve got the most divine designer” by Roger Noakes (Garden Designer)

Common myths about garden designers

Roger Noakes does not look like this either. Male designers wear leather waistcoats, collarless shirts, jeans and are called Ben or Sean or Dan, and may have goatee beards (not compulsory).

Many designers have a double-barreled surname or one which sounds foreign eg Wimsdorf or d’Agneau.

They write books and get on TV. They won’t get out of bed for less than a fee of four figures and demand outrageous expenses.

All stereotypes of course. But garden design does carry some (class?) baggage from the past. You do now and again hear or read something from a designer or garden writer which indicates that they are about to disappear up their own gazebo. The show gardens at this year’s Chelsea show didn’t help – wildly expensive to create, more concrete and stainless steel than plants – and bore no relation to most people’s budgets.

I am not a great fan of garden makeover TV programmes but they have popularised the idea of garden design and made it more accessible. Titchmarsh et al have done more for garden design than anyone else in my view.

Of course there are superstars in any occupation – in the UK people like John Brookes, Jill Billington, David Stevens, the late Rosemary Verey and the younger Dan Pearson and Gavin McDiarmud. Most of these spent a long time not being famous. It’s only since gardening became the new rock ‘n roll with the explosion of books, magazines, TV programmes, videos, computer software and websites that they have seen the opportunities and come to the fore.

Lesser designer mortals don’t charge squillions, work hard, are practical, are enthusiastic and give value for money. I know, I’m one and I enjoy it.