|
View PDF | Print View
|
Give your garden a makeover for spring
| For many people, their garden is the biggest ‘space' in the home - and one that's ripe for investment. There's been a host of garden makeover shows offering grand and sometimes downright crazy ideas, so what's the best way to get a patch that adds value to your property? We sent a welly wearing reporter to speak to Diarmuid Gavin, the curly-haired "enfant terrible" of the gardening world. He's made a career out of transforming other people's gardens for the enjoyment of millions of TV viewers. So heed his advice: "People don't want a screaming individualist garden. If you're looking at it as an investment, keep it nice and simple with clean, contemporary lines, simple materials and planting that doesn't look like it's going to take an awful lot of time or money to maintain." Trial and error Diarmuid, who's credited for shaking up the traditionally conservative world of horticulture, is the first to admit he's not always practised what he now preaches. "I had a horrific accident when we were doing the Home Front series and decided to pour 50 tonnes of concrete into a garden," he recalls. "I would wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about that job and then arrive at the garden and convince the family it was going to be beautiful and great and knowing in my heart that it wasn't, it was a mess. But you learn from your mistakes." Home Front Diarmuid knows that programmes such as Home Front have contributed massively to the upsurge in enthusiasm for outdoor living. "There's been a huge explosion in gardening," he says. "When I was at college, it would have been very unusual to focus on garden design. You had to be a jack-of-all-trades, able to design gardens, build them and then maintain them. Now the profession has moved on as there's such a demand for people to design the exterior as well as the inside of their property." Do your own thing He's willing to take some credit for helping homeowners make the best use of their outdoor space though. "I think we've shown people you can appreciate lots of garden styles and don't have to create gardens that fit in with the Jones's." "There are a lot of plants we weren't able to grow in the past but, as the weather's getting better, we can. It's now about enjoying a huge amount of freedom and fun." So, what does he see as the next big thing for amateur gardeners? "The current trend is certainly in herbaceous plants and getting back to the craft of gardening," says Diarmuid. Growing your own vegetables is also an expanding activity and the sale of vegetable seeds has now overtaken those of flowers. "Vegetable growing is becoming madness," he laughs. Searching for a secret Although still a familiar face on TV, most of his time is spent on his landscape business, Diarmuid Gavin Designs. "We work on about 50 gardens a year all over the world, whether they're ongoing projects in the office or relatively instant small solutions to town gardens," he says. "I'll meet the client so I can interpret what they want but then, rather than sitting down at a drawing board, I wait for the idea to come to me. I'm looking for the garden's secret - every garden has one. When I feel I have something to work with, I sit down with an illustrator and we put together a completed garden theme from my few sketches in a notebook." These days family life has mellowed Diarmuid's wild streak, but he's no less passionate about his subject. "I adore spring, which we seem on a relentless march towards," he says. "Every time you go into the garden, there's something new to look at. It's a time full of hope and excitement." |
About the Author
If Diarmuid's words have inspired you to invest in some expensive outdoor furniture remember to check your contents insurance policy will cover the new addition. Alternatively use Confused.com to compare the top home insurance providers.
Rating: Not yet rated
Comments
No comments posted.Add Comment
You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.