I completed an open College of the Arts course “The Art of Garden Design”, finishing in 1999 with an A grade. I started a second level course with them but did not complete it as I started a family. I came back to garden design when my youngest daughter started school. Between 2008 and 2010 I successfully completed a wide range of modules from the HNC and HND in Garden Design run by the Scottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh.

I have been providing a Garden Design Service since 2011, although this was very much on an ad-hoc basis with potential customers learning about me through word of mouth.

Since May 2017 I have been doing garden design work on a part-time basis, alongside working with children as an Early Years Practitioner. The work I have undertaken has included work for private clients and regular work with an established Landscaper who, unusually, also provides a design service to his customers. I have completed numerous designs for his customers during this time.

I stopped working as an Early Years Practitioner in April 2020 to concentrate on garden design work but remain passionate about young children learning through outside play. I bring this expertise into my work as a garden designer when designing for families with young children.

Currently I am a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers, this is a form of membership prior to achieving full registration status. I am working towards accreditation as a fully registered professional of the Society. In addition, I have full Professional Indemnity Insurance and Liability Insurance.

Many years ago, I gained a first-class BSc degree in Ecological Science from Edinburgh University. Over the subsequent years I have maintained an interest in wild plant and animal communities, and I bring this knowledge to my garden design practice. I am particularly interested in creating beautiful stylish gardens that also happen to be supportive to wildlife. This might include space and facilities to hang bird feeders to encourage bird life, suggesting lovely plants that also attract and support bees and butterflies, considering the seasonal needs of wildlife for food, shelter and water or suggesting that fences should include suitable holes at the bottom to enable hedgehogs to wander through gardens as part of their natural range when out looking for food at night. Depending on the location of your garden I might use the local area and surrounding landscape as a reference point for plants, atmosphere and materials.

Some of my working life was spent working for a charity assisting people who were disabled or families with a disabled person to explore their housing options. I am aware of the issues faced by those who might have problems getting around or use aids like a wheelchair or walking frame. I am also aware of the needs of other people who might need planted areas to be a certain height, or for whom scent is particularly important or need a calming space. I will design a garden to meet the specific needs of individual customers.

I have an artist’s eye in relation to proportion, scale, colour, texture, perspective and composition and I use this creatively when working up a design. I also have an eye for detail and the small things that matter in a garden design, for example how one surface joins with another surface. This also enables me to think out of the box so that a wall also becomes a place to sit or steps are also used as a place to put candles or lamps for example.

In general I am an organized and practical person and bring this into my garden designs in relation to how the garden will work from a practical point of view and how easy it will be to maintain, for example including an edging at the bottom of walls and steps to make it easy to mow and achieve a really tidy finish.