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Wednesday 25 August 2010

If It Aint Broke, Don't Landscape It...

Lately I have been aware of how landscaping a home garden entails a very careful balancing act between imposing your own ideas, and doing what the client wants. All the while making sure that the garden suits the environment.

Alstroemeria in the Baynesfield Gardens
I have been working on a garden for a very sweet elderly lady, and it has truly been a pleasure adding a fresh touch to her garden. The garden itself is well established, albeit in a style that is a little outdated (I hesitate to use that word because I believe if a garden is well designed it should never really become outdated) and also relatively thirsty.

Normally in a situation like this, I would try to steer the client towards making some quite significant changes. But in this case, having weighed up the clients tastes and preferences, I didn't believe that much change was required at all.

She already loves her garden.  Thats exactly what I strive to achieve when I create a garden. So, why fix what isn't broken?

3 comments:

Town Mouse said...

What a great way to think about gardens! I agree completely, it's no good if the garden owner is not happy with the end result.

As for "outdated" -- well, it will all come back in another 20 or 30 years ;->

stoneware70 said...

That's so true, that's why I'm keeping my plaid suit in the cupboard.

But it does frustrate me when I'm asked what's in fashion in gardens at the moment. A garden is a long term investment, so you can't look at what's in fashion now.

Boulder Composite Decking said...

I agree as well. If as a owner you don't want to change anything yet you are having some problems with your landscaping, might as well go into trying to fix some of the problems instead of just changing the whole design.

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