Page 136 - Homes amp Gardens UK February 2021

DESIGN

THE GARDEN DESIGNER
ANDY STURGEON

CONSISTENTLY one of the most awarded
and respected UK garden designers, Andy has
created gardens of all shapes and sizes, bringing to

each one the same mix of passion and practicality.
He is known for innovative planting and an
Andy used more
expensive trees to architectural approach that combines the traditional
create a backdrop with the contemporary.
for cost-effective
lower planting here
Economies can be made before the first penny is spent.

‘Start by thinking about what is worth keeping. What
can you do with the existing hard landscaping, trees
and shrubs? Is some rejuvenation possible? Doing
this can create a sense of maturity from the outset.’

Establish the garden in stages. ‘You need a
direction to set rules and parameters with your
design, but don’t feel you have to decide everything

upfront. You need to keep costs under control, which
can be hard when you’re a beginner, so cost and note
every item before you make a decision.’
Before starting to plant and landscape, create an

idea of the garden as a visual whole. ‘I tell clients not
to look up plants in catalogues. The problem with
seeing them individually is that you’re looking at

them in isolation. You need to think about palettes
and choose combinations – think about height,
colour, texture and the seasons. Buy an initial

selection and add to that when you can afford it.’
Inexpensive materials can be the starting point for
A few decent
an entire scheme. ‘Gravel is an example. I’m a big
sized trees and
PHOTOGRAPHS (TOP AND BOTTOM) ANDY STURGEON STUDIO, (CENTRE) JERRY HARPUR
shrubs will help advocate of gravel gardens. They create light and
create a mature space around the plants and are relatively cheap and
landscape easy to maintain all year round. I try to buy local
gravel, ideally more than 10mm in diameter. Don’t

worry about putting a plastic membrane under the
gravel, for me that’s a false economy.’
Think about trade-offs and absolutes. ‘A hedge

might be better than an expensive fence, for example.
One idea is to invest in a few decent-sized trees and
shrubs to help create a mature landscape. It won’t

Gravel was used to make an instant garden but it does offer a framework
create an inexpensive while other plants establish. I recommend spending
textured path
money on individual objects – spend as much as you
between two deep
can on something special that should last forever.
borders in this
country garden Torc pots (torcpots.com) are a favourite of mine.’
designed by Andy ■ andysturgeon.com &

H O M E S A N D G A R D E N S . C O M 133