Rob Jones is the esteemed laminitis of The Garden Design Company Ltd , a business firm established in 1996 that uniquely proffer both garden blueprint and progress services under one roof .
His journey in garden design and horticulture set out at Pershore College of Horticulture in 1991 , initiate a journey to make inspirational gardens across southerly England .
Rob speaks to Mollie Brown about his career , how he believes soil is the backbone of any skillful garden and his plans for the future of The Garden Design Company .
Watch the full consultation with Rob on YouTube here :
How did your love for gardening begin and how has it evolved over the years?
“ In the recent eighties , I was a attorney and I was specialising in aesculapian crime but as a out of bounds , I was making up pay heed baskets for sale , ” Rob shares .
“ I would ram up in my Golf GTI to New Covent Garden and load my machine upwith Busy LizziesandGeraniumsand then park in an underground car park in Old Covent Garden where my situation was . I then changed into a suit and did a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ’s work as a attorney before driving home and then pretend up a hanging basket .
“ I sold those through several little garden centres and nurseries and one of them then come up for sale in about 1990 , but the figure did n’t add up . I thought my time would be better served if I actually went away to college and really learned something about horticulture and garden design .
“ So I make up one’s mind to take a year out and went to Pershaw as a fledged student and never really looked back . ”
What was the pivotal moment that drove you to pursue garden design?
“ In those day , I was commute to London and then continue the rest of the state for the Doctor ’s Defence Organisation , ” he explains .
“ Invariably , I would be exchange to London in the dark and then return in the dark . It suddenly tap me on one of those atrocious commuting days that I did n’t need to do that for another 40 years .
“ The advantage of having dependant as a lawyer is that you could always go back to it . It ’s probably a spot late now , but surely , at the meter , I thought I could go and dabble in garden design and gardening with the Leslie Townes Hope of generate if I need to . ”
Can you tell us about setting up The Garden Design Company and the work you do there?
“ Whilst at college , I get word an advertising for a garden essence in Marlow in need of someone to set up a brand fresh design and make companionship for them . They gave me the job and so I did exactly that .
I learnt a lot very apace in those four years , and on the 1st of May 1996 , we established the Garden Design Company Limited . We wanted to offer a service that allow people to find a intriguer and contractor all in one situation .
We design and create garden and also create relationship with our clients , so we rarely advertise and instead just work on repetition business and recommendation from private client . ”
describe your Garden design philosophy in just three words.
“ Natural and sustainable , ” says Rob .
Could you tell us a little bit about one of the most challenging projects you’ve ever worked on and how you overcame the challenges that came with it?
“ This class was the first time we ’ve ever entered the BALI Awards and we pull ahead in both of the family we entered in , and they ’re really looking for challenging undertaking .
“ The first one was in Wimbledon and all the material , the plants , the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , the soil , the excavator and the dumpers all had to go through the client ’s subject . What we did was we build a burrow of timber on the level , on the walls and on the ceiling through this client ’s cogitation so that he just sleep with we were there .
“ We won an award for that , but the other one was almost equally striking where access was n’t a problem , but it was up in the Children ’s and it affect the institution of 250 square meter of wildlife pool with 84 tons of glacial bowlder being integrate into the water feature . ”
How have garden design trends changed over the year, and where do you kind of see them heading in the future?
“ Nowadays , the great unwashed are embracing the approximation of kitchen garden and grow your own , whether it ’s yield , vegetables or cut prime , ” Rob note .
“ It really is quite scandalous when you talk to multitude about the air miles , food for thought mi that , specially cut flowers , involve . If we can just stop bribe blossom from afield , and buy more seasonally topically mature flowers , or indeed , get them yourself , we would make a huge difference . ”
What’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d received when starting in garden design?
“ I ’ve been doing this for 30 years now , so I ’m probably doing something right , but I do think that I should have gone to bring for somebody else , ” he laugh .
“ Who knows , I ’ve probably been doing it all wrong . I effectively do up my own with the garden nitty-gritty , but so much of it was ego - teach , so I often think that perhaps I should have gone to work for someone else to start with and to have seen how they did it ! ”
Are there any exciting projects or goals you have set for your garden in the near future?
“ I ’m on the plank of a wonderful charity called Greenfingers , and we raise money to design and work up gardens in children ’s hospices so that children with life - fix illnesses can benefit from being out of doors , ” he explains .
“ Greenfingers is celebrating its 25th day of remembrance next year , and we ’ve get a twain of big garden that are being built at the bit for them . I ’m looking forward to opening those next season because it ’s just adorable to give other hoi polloi who are less golden than you the chance to savor the outdoor room . ”
