Just been in to the garden to photograph something for Sid and it reminded me of what we are aiming to achieve with our schemes - uplifting moments by putting the right plant (or structure) in the right place at the right time of day/year.

Morning sunlight on a Magnolia Stellata

Don't forget to look up - the last remaining rain drops 
drying in the sunshine on a Eucaluptus. 
It really is ghostly white at the moment as the recent gales have stripped the loose bark away

This one's for Sid - what a colour combo, 
although I do confess to it being staged, they're not growing next to each other (at the moment!)

I'm feeling inspired at the moment and I'm getting out the trace and lots of thick felt pens to resolve my planting plan. Hooray!

I love the V&A

Those of you from the Advanced Rep class know all about my love of the V&A and last night I made very good use of my membership. I went to the opening of the V&As William Kent exhibition with Sid to try and regain a sense of perspective and get some inspiration.

William Kent at the Victoria & Albert Museum

It worked. What an amazing talent and so exciting to see so much of his work. It was brilliant to have an understanding the historical context, what had led up to it and what followed from it. A term very well spent with Tom Turner and I got so much more from the exhibition than I would have done before the module.


We had another look at the courtyard:

Controlling where people walk - fill the water feature. 

The grass was sectioned off because the turf had been relaid. 

I'm sure this will be a regular part of the maintenance schedule 

but there was no-one around to ask.

Outdoor cafe with die hard tea drinkers in themed (William Morris print) paper cups

Combination of the building and the planters. I found trees a little smaltzy and Christmassy but maybe I'm just miserable at the moment. Great reflections in the water - different characteristics at different times due to human interaction. Only 2 of the water jets were illuminated - maintenance/cost implications?

What happened to just going somewhere and enjoying it? It all started in the first year with those brick bonds and it's gone on from there.

For once I listened to Julia! and to get my 1:50 design fully resolved, I've made a model. I've got the levels sorted and some of the hard landscaping detail but I'm still resolving the planting.

it definitely helps me to have things that I can move around so I can really resolve things. I'm gong back to my concept to make sure all my decisions to link back to my concept of Restorative, and my design design of Mind, Body and Soul.

Here's where I've got to so far:

Models - 1:200

Just thought I'd share my models with you - I'm starting with the 1:200. I'm really happy with it and it definitely helps me think and get the hang of the space.

I'm aiming for design freeze

I'm aiming to be at design freeze today, and I think that it might be finally possible. I'll try and put up some images of the stages I've gone through but I need to get on and work rather than blog.

I've got the circus sorted out at last (large round open space, not Billy Smart) with help from Jamie and some model making.

Still sorting out the seating but I may have a way through, literally and figuratively.

On my way through finding tree info, I found the following blog: http://www.tradsdiary.com by Hugh Johnson, the wine and tree man. Well worth a dip into when time allows. I was interested to hear about the box eating moth that's probably coming our way, although as we already have box blight to contend with, maybe it's days are numbered anyway. Yet another aspect to consider when selecting our planting palette.

Off to get some more work done.