by Matthew Thomson

When Nicky informed me that i would be sending off my own design and presentation I was a tad nervous about the outcome to say the least!  It didn’t help that the garden I would be designing for was a very strange shape and quite large.  When doing practise designs I found it alot easier to come up with ideas for smaller gardens, so this was the first stumbling block!  I tried to fit in everything that the client had wanted, but ended up with a mish-mash of a design with no real flow throughout the garden, so it was back to the drawing board!

I needed some inspiration, so took to the web to see if i could find it there.  I wanted to have my own style in the design so found it quite difficult to look at other designers’ designs and ideas without thinking that I was cheating, so it was to the reference books next! This proved a bit more successful as they not only have designs and techniques in them but tips and ideas on how to create gardens of all shapes and sizes which was exactly the kind of help i needed.  I came to realise that the design concept is the same, whether for a small town garden or in my case a large oddly shaped country garden, just different scales.  So once i had got my head round the size and shape it was onto the design itself, which proved just as difficult.

The clients themselves live in a modern farm conversion in the country with cracking city views of glasgow, so my problem was trying to fit in the rural rustic surroundings, the clients modern style whilst framing the city landscape in the distance.  Not much then!  Taking into consideration the clients needs for certain things in the garden; utility area, patio, water feature, i decided to try and mirror the view from the house in the garden.  I tried to achieve this using different heights in the centre of the garden with hedges and walls, and fibre optic lights embedded in the patio, to reflect the city view, and with different size lawn mounds either side of the central ‘city’ area to replicate the surrounding country hills and farmland.  Considering the materials was also important so it was back to the books to find the perfect gear.  I would say that this stage of the process was probably the easiest due to the fact that the house was very modern so to tie in that to the garden was just a case of trying to use nice clean modern materials, like black slate for the patio and crisp white gravel for the pathways.

So i was happy with my design, next stage- the dreaded presentation!  Now I’m not the most confident of people so this was terrifying for me to say the least!  It was a case of sucking it up and getting on with it really, no books to help me there, and in the end it wasn’t so bad!

It’s out the road now anyway, first one under the belt as they say.  I came across a few problems and it took me longer than i would have liked but its all part of the learning process i suppose.  I’m looking forward to the feedback but not as much as i’m looking forward to the next set of  problems….. I mean designs!

Best regards

Matthew Thomson, Apprentice Garden Designer @ GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-06-24 17:00:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here is an article I wrote for the much celebrated Landscape Juice Network back in February 2009.  I think much of it still holds true currently for the many businesses, established and start-up alike in the landscape and garden design industries.

Landscaping through the recession : Landscape and garden expert.

Originally posted 2009-10-13 13:19:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Nicky Patterson

So in December, for the majority of garden design and landscaping firms the phones go dead and the emails come to a halt as people concentrate on the holiday season and their attentions are diverted to hosting family dinners and parties and visiting friends and relatives.  The cold enquiry front gets even cooler in the current economic climate when consumer confidence is at an ebb and the banks are defying to lend as to the government’s and consumer’s wishes.

However many will still utilise the mass of positive equity still retained in their property and apply it to improving and developing their current residence, to make lifestyle investments which will massively improve the quality of their useable property space.  Those more canny than others will know that January and February and March are the best times to have any major landscaping projects undertaken, ensuring that all the hard construction is cleared in time for the spring and for when the garden can be enjoyed to its fullest (why waste that precious relaxation time over spring and winter having your garden built?).

As we approach Christmas Day and New Years Day during our festive break from site-work I am working upon 3 different designs for prospective work which will begin pre-Spring.  The projects are all of moderate and conservative budgets, £5-£12K, but i am relishing the prospect of getting back to work and further enhancing our design portfolio.

I am enjoying this break, spending it with my wife’s family in Portsmouth – where the weather is eternally warmer than my native Glasgow, but i am also looking forward to welcoming any new commissions or contract proposals for what i see will be a fruitful 2009 despite the delicate nature of our current economy.

So a Merry Christmas to you all and i look forward to seeing you in 2009!

Nicky Patterson

GardenImprovements.com

PS. Don’t forget our fantastic Winter offer of 20% off drawings and labour for kitchen gardens!!

Originally posted 2008-12-24 10:18:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Nicky Patterson

Come To Scotland For Your Holidays!

So I’m back at the Bat-Cave now after a lovely past few weeks and I am working my way through all the mail and emails that have mounted up on my desk and desktop resepectively.  I’m a little bit annoyed that my last post’s optimism had it’s wing shot by the announcement a few days ago that the price of fruit and veg and general groceries is to increase by 20% in th UK in 2009.  Is it just me or is the media determined to make all this seem completely insurmountable to even the most optimistic of us?

I had been encouraged by some of the commentators debating that the public sector would keep alot of SMEs above water, but 20% added onto shopping bills is a fair whack and can only further dull consumer confidence.

On top of this English, Welsh and Irish gardeners are experiencing the, by now notorious, ‘Arctic Chill’  right now (in Glasgow we just call it winter!) while in Scotland we are experiencing relatively (but only relatively) milder weather; even though spades are still bouncing out of the ground!  At any rate, the big kick-off to the new season has been somewhat ‘put on ice’ and left alot of us thumbing through our paper-work and trying to invent new sources of enterprise for the coming months (perhaps some are finally getting their tax return underway – who me?).  Anyway this silly weather isn’t exactly the worst news ever because obviously things will warm up as 2009 shakes off the sleep and we can all get digging, building and planting again.

I have in fact had some good news recently and I shall be sure to gloat about it once everything is finalised but I was thinking how fortunate I was here to be presented with such an opportunity at what is proving to be quite a low-point in my short career as a businessman.

2008 has been my worst year by far.  Business was actually very good but I was badly let down by staff who took advantage of my absence (while concentrating on design demand, networking opportunities and expanding the business) to cut corners on projects and take prolonged tea-breaks in full view of clients.  This lost me some well founded client relationships and cost alot of money where work had to be re-done.  A steep learning curve.  I am glad to have pulled through it though and have made amends to most of those clients as best I could.  The expansion plans are in the bin and like many the focus is on streamlining and improving quality.  These are my plans for 2009.

At any rate I have learned some valuable lessons but one more than most which is reaping rewards even now – to keep my head up, chin up, keep my eyes peeled and my ears open; keep on top of it all and opportunities, when they come along – like this one, can be taken in stride.

So for me the only possible way is up and while I fully expect some downturn in business; at the moment I am relishing the challenge and I am ready to take those unexpected opportunites.  And, like my dad always says – and I appreciate that it is a cliche, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.

All the best for 2009 folks, I hope it turns out a good one for us all.

Nicky Patterson

GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-01-06 21:10:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Nicky Patterson

The format is familiar: new-build property that new owners require to be landscaped;  I arrive for a survey visit and am presented by a blank canvas of either a full plot of earth or fence to fence lawn.  The houses have generally been up and out of the wrapper for almost a year and now that the owners are satisfied with their interior fittings and decoration they turn their attentions to the garden: their initial landscaping budget has been squeezed out by their natural desire to embellish upon the interior design and also commonly by the addition of a conservatory or integrated garage conversion.

I am always excited by the prospect of these garden designs since the grounds are indeed left as a blank canvas and we, with the clients, can truly indulge on a personalised and bespoke design that will fit well with the client’s lifestyle aspirations and procure the most function possible from their new garden space.

The common problem is that the developers have left the gardens in a terrible condition.  Their obvious objective is to gain maximum profit for the property sale and this means that they generally do not spend much on improving the property grounds.  In fact they apply the minimum required to get a fast sale.  Monoblocking along with some tuf and cheap planting the front garden as standard is the most lavish cost attributed but this is crucial in their presentation of the property to the market and so it makes sense for them to spend here.

The back garden deserves none of this treatment as far as they are concerned.  At most they will include a lawn as an option but this, again, is to seem to make the property more presentable.  The truth is very different.

The developers never excavate away any hardcore bases they have used for cabins and site offices, they never excavate any clay or subclay that has been densely compacted by years of constant heavy plant site traffic.  This leaves a broad base of densely compact and variably impermeable sub-structure.  On top of this they will import anything from 2 inches to 2 feet of low quality unscreened topsoil which will respond to the weather much like a goldfish bowl would if filled with mud i.e. rainwater goes nowhere.  The developers will not install drainage as standard to alleviate these conditions.

The new owner is of course unaware these problems until they eventually focus their attentions onto the garden and see how the mud or lawn collects prolonged puddles and they will be unaware of the reasons why and the costs involved to rectify until they consult a professional.

So our initial budget has been bombed.  Either we cannot provide the garden the client truly wants and needs or the client has to shell out £000s even just to get to square 1 of the design implementation.

So what’s the solution?  In current economic conditions, direct confrontation with the housing developers would seldom result with a successful outcome.  Instead I feel we are left to simply creating more awareness of these issues through press and promotion so that, when these new-property owners come to take the garden to task, they can approach their budget figures and design aspirations reasonably, and we landscapers are not left to tricky negotiations after initial contracts have been agreed and the full extent of the poor site conditions is discovered in the opening days of the project.

Our dumper stuck in the mud (whilst installing drainage!!)

Best regards, your huffing grumpy gardener

Nicky Patterson, GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-03-01 12:39:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

In the first few years of GardenImprovements.com I had been doing design work as-and-when I could, fitting it in around site-work, site-surveys and administration. Designs were infrequently submitted to clients late.

Recently I have begun scheduling a set 2 and a half hours per day per design (maximum 2 designs) and treating this time exactly like an appointment – where I don’t allow distractions and only answer vital calls.  This has meant that designs can be completed in just over 2 weeks allowing a few extra days for for embellishment or any time lost from emergency site call-outs (when the bat-signal has gone up!).

Here is an excellent article that should help us designers out and improve our efficiency:

Hope it helps! Source: Getting Creative Things Done: How To Fit Hard Thinking Into a Busy Schedule :: Tips :: The 99 Percent.

Originally posted 2010-11-22 08:47:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Matthew Thomson

After attending a meeting at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow about a guerilla gardening project in Drumchapel; I cant help but think that it is a topic which goes largely unnoticed in local communities in and around Glasgow. For those of you who may not know a lot about guerrilla gardening it can basically be described as charity gardening scheme, taken upon by members of different community’s who feel there local councils are neglecting some aspects of the green areas that surround there homes, business, amenities, in some places even just a strip of grass by the side of the road. The problem is there is a real lack of awareness about the benefits of these projects which may lead to some community members saying ‘ Why bother!? ‘. Well in these trying financial times there could perhaps be many benefits- growing fruit and veg and selling them from local shops, markets etc (especially relevant when the lack of available allotment space is at an ebb at the moment), getting youth clubs and schools involved could help with the severe lack of facilities for youngsters in more deprived areas, and in general make the places where you live a more vibrant and exciting place to be. Its easy to get involved, all you need is a few friends with a little bit of gardening know how or just join up with a group already doing there bit!

So next time your out walking your dog or going to the shops, take a look around, see if your area could be improved and get involved! We’ll certainly be doing our best to give a helping hand!

Matthew, GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-03-19 00:13:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Nicky Patterson

Nicky pretends to be a bush-man!

These days (and especially during our current economic climate) it is essential to procure the most possible function and usability of the space we find in our properties, and with the increase in lifestyle advertisement as a result of years of generated affluence we are now readily inclined to look beyond bricks and mortar to see how our gardens can be utilised.

There are of course many standard practical functions to the garden: offroad parking; children’s play; vegetable cultivation; pet’s habitat etc; but now in a fully immersed sociable and lifestyle-orientated society there are new and exciting functions which can be procured from a garden: patios and decking big enough for entertaining the whole extended family and cooking a BBQ, the extension of informal seating that can be derived from this through raised flower beds and retaining walls; a kitchen garden to feed the family or to educate the kids; a soft rubber play surface for children’s play equipment; fencing and planting for privacy while we relax on our evening patio in the twighlight with a glass of wine, gently illuminated by the garden lights and lulled softly by the bubbling of a water feature.  Sound good?

Shirley was in love with her new walk-in chamber pot

Well all of these ideas are concepts that aren’t really new to anybody at all but their implementation should be approached with some sense of cohesion within the space and sympathy with surroundings.

Interior design is a much celebrated discipline which not everybody can get right without some advice and we have all seen rooms where curtains and sofas and cushions and carpets make for a confused and uncomfortable experience.  In the same way your garden – or exterior – design should allow for materials, shapes and textures and structures to sypathise with one another to create an harmonious space which will truly let you relax, truly allow you to show off to friends and family, and truly add value to your lifestyle AND your property.

That’s where we can help!

Not functional or pretty

My job as a designer is to ensure that the space delivered to you is suitable to your requirements as an individual and as a household. I can give you all of these different elements set-out into a fully functional, very useable and extremely attractive garden, with planting to suit your ambitions and everything you need from your property space.  I don’t doubt there are plenty of able bodied folk out there who are capable of laying some slabs or building a wall but perhaps seeking a little design advice would make all these efforts FAR more worthwhile.  For those niether design nor DIY inclined – we can provide all the services required.

A small but well-designed garden

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Nicky Patterson

GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-01-27 22:20:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Nicky Patterson

1 and a half stone of beer, wine, meat and cake

I’m still with my wife’s family in Portsmouth, having spent Christmas here, and will be celebrating Hogmany tonight and welcoming in the New Year.  Being in the south of England for a couple of weeks has certainly allowed me to relax a little and remove myself from the direct responsibilities of running the business, but it has also allowed me to gather some alternative impartial opinions on the credit crunch and its consequences.

My wife’s father and step-mother both work within the public sector here, as do many who live around Hampshire due to the concentration of military and government bases down here.  What has become obvious, and has been debated by some in the newspapers of late, is that those within the public sector will probably have a very different experience of the ‘credit crunch’ than those in the private sector.

We have witnessed the wholesale failing of the banking system and the many job losses as repercussion of this failing.  We have witnessed the failing of stalwart high-street icons such as Woolworths and Wittards amongst others.  Some high-street retailers will obviously benefit in the short term from these as their share in the available retail market increases accordingly, but it is curious that the finger of fate as far as these examples have proved does indeed seem to be fickle and there are many who will lose jobs and become worse off for this but many who will remain as normal, even if with some stress of uncertainty.

The public sector however remains relatively unscathed and those who work within it might even become better off in 2009 as the VAT cuts and lowering fuel and retail prices come into effect while their employment and salary remain stable.

So how will all this ultimately affect those within the service industries; and in particular landscapers and garden designers; who are more or less in a tertiary market and as such are wholly at the mercy of the economy?

Well I, for one, am confident that, since our target market are primarily those in a middle to high income bracket, there is still a wealth of property equity out there that can be invested in home-improvements: and these are exactly the type of investments people have made in the past when the housing market has slumped.  Not only that; there is a clear difference in experience of the credit crunch thus far between those in the public sector and those in the private sector – and this does not seem to be a trend that will change significantly in 2009.  There is therefor still a significant portion of the population who will in fact have an increased disposable income which will be circulated throughout the rest of the retail industries and keep small businesses breathing.

So I am not going to hang up my sketch-book and shovel just yet: it will certainly get tough as some competitors will inevitably suffer and fail while others will in fact ‘up the ante’ which means that while there may be fewer bones to chew, it will be those who sharpen their teeth the keenest who will survive the months ahead.  I have my file out right now!

Nicky Patterson

GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2008-12-31 13:02:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

So after much practise and a couple of knock-backs, I finally had come up with a design that a client felt worthy of having built in their garden…phew!  The customer was Mary G from Busby on the south side of Glasgow, and not only did she like the design she loved it enough to go over budget to get the project going!

by Matthew ThomsonTo take a look at the full design process for this garden, please follow me here!

Mary’s garden is a great little sun-trap and she emphasised on our survey that she loved to sun-bathe and relax in the garden so i thought it would suit her to have additional seating areas from the patio hence the Beach Pebble gravel rings. The original garden was almost completely without planting so the bed areas between the lawn, patio and gravel rings will give Mary plenty of new colours, aroma’s and form in her new garden. I found it extremely interesting and refreshing to see the garden take shape throughout the build knowing that these were MY ideas and visions taking place and that someone would benefit from these for years. I’m looking forward to returning to Mary’s very soon to imply the planting structure and seeing the finished job, it will definetly be a proud moment for me! Mary is chuffed with the garden; a big relief for me as there was a worry that once we completed the job she wouldn’t be as happy as I was, but no worries there in the end!

To see the the finished job follow me here to see this Busby garden design completed!

I’m really looking forward to starting the next build on one of my own designs, which in fact will be starting very soon as another one has been accepted! Happy days! Keep an eye out for that appearing in our Garden Design Portfolio Series.

Cheers for now

Matthew Thomson, Apprentice Garden Designer @ GardenImprovements.com