For me, Audrey Hepburn’s quote captures what gardens are truly about:
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
We live in a world of instant gratification and rapid transformation. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, except little attention is given to the space between the start and finish.
With gardens, there is no real finish. They are constantly evolving spaces, shaped by time, weather and care. Joy lies in its evolution, but that requires something, often in short supply.
Patience may seem passive to those who want results now but it is an active commitment. To work with what is, in order to create what will be, is never an overnight event.
Every project, every site, brings its own unique set of questions. Some can be addressed at the design and survey stage; others only reveal themselves during clearance.
Clearance and groundwork will uncover what was previously unseen. You don’t know what you don’t know but as night follows day, new considerations emerge.
For this reason, I approach the build process in two distinct stages.
The first is about returning to basics: clearing what is no longer required, establishing boundaries and doing the necessary groundwork to prepare the site for the second stage.
The success of the build relies entirely on the thoroughness of stage one. Groundwork lays the foundations to bring the design to fruition. However, it is also the most disruptive and least exciting part of the process, particularly in comparison to the build stage.
This is where you will see the plans and discussions come to life, one brick, one timber, one plant at a time. Each act making what was once an idea, into a living, breathing reality but please, always remember my project philosophy.
Projects are like plants; there is no bloom without roots, and no garden without patience.
If you would like to talk through your ideas, I would be happy to meet and discuss the process in more detail.
Joëlle
