Recently I had a great conversation about collaboration with some lovely colleagues of mine. While filming the RTE Super Garden TV Show, Raisin Lafferty and Gary Graham and I spoke about the importance of sharing ideas and how we have come creatively to this point when we finally recognise this: Sharing is good. In a time where some people are still holding on to their creative ideas like private gems,
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It’s that time of the year again and I am delighted to be back filming the wonderful show that is RTE Super Garden. The popular show which sees five designers creating gardens for real homeowners with the hope of getting their winning garden a place at the Bloom in the Park festival on the June bank holiday weekend. This is no easy task, I know this because in 2012 I
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There is no plant that blooms more prolifically in early Summer than the Aquilegia or Columbine flower. The pretty and delicate plant is a firm favourite of cottage gardens and self-seeds freely through borders making it a very rewarding plant. It also happens to be easy as pie to grow, making it a great plant for the garden owner who doesn’t have a whole lot of time to dig up
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When it comes to gardens children tend to experience a space in a very different sense to how adults do. Where we adults immediately assess the garden in terms of our experiences of other gardens, style associations and flowers we may recognize, a child will most likely think, what part of this garden can I have fun in most? It is only when we become older that we start to
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I have never had the pleasure of visiting Japan but for many reasons it is on the top three of my dream destinations worldwide. From the minimalist, considered and elegant design which so inspired me as an architecture student to the ceremonies of tea drinking which teach us how to truly embrace the current moment, this fascinating country with such a wealth of traditions has long had a strong pull
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One of my favourite quotes about the sea was written by the Danish author Karen Blixen: ‘The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea.’. This is a wonderfully visual statement that always really appealed to me, I even have a mug with the quote written on it! Yes, I live near the sea and have been blessed to spend long, lazy, teenage summers surfing and
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