What is your commute to work like? I am very privileged that my studio where I create my stained glass is at the end of my garden, just a short walk from the back patio doors. There are very few hold ups on my way in, perhaps the distraction of my cats weaving around my ankles, a quick tend to the green house, a thought that the lawn needs a mow at the weekend, dodging a downpour or boggy patches in the grass but all in all it's a lovely commute through a relatively nice garden. However, the thing that was bugging me about my commute to work was the planting. I am a perfectionist and whilst I am a budding and lets say, enthusiastic gardener, I don't seem to be terribly green fingered….My garden of some 13 years now has undergone many changes with me pulling out plants I don't like, moving things around, digging new borders, trying things here and there but try as I might, I just couldn’t achieve that cottage garden look that beckons you from every page of Country Living magazine!
It was the end of the summer in 2024 when I started to feel really frustrated, I had been trying to take photos of my garden sculptures to promote my work and I just felt no matter which angle or setting I put them in the planting wasn’t showing them off to their full potential. My garden sculptures are designed so they can be easily installed in a border or feature setting but there was nothing feature or particularly pretty about my borders, certainly not good enough for promotional photos. Evening primrose was taking over one side of the garden and Sisyrinchium another. Uninteresting shrubs were sprawling 'every which way' and my Phormium was so large it was starting to engulf the deck! Enough was enough…I need to reach out to a professional to turn my garden into a photographic dream for my sculptures, my dream garden for me and my dream commute to work.
Enter Vicky Lincoln. Award winning garden designer and founder of Vicky Lincoln Garden Design. Perfect credentials and just so happens to work from her own garden studio just 10 mins away. After some serious browsing of her website and social media channels I was more than convinced she was going to be my saviour. Vicky and I got on instantly, not just because, as it turns out we had some friends in common but I love her enthusiasm and passion for planting and design, it’s infectious. Our first meeting was a great success with me able to share my hopes and aspirations for my future sculpture garden and a whole lot of bouncing of ideas. Vicky went away to start designing and planning the ultimate garden with not just the consideration of my personal use of the garden but also designing with the stained glass sculptures in mind. I couldn’t wait to see what Vicky came up with…Believe me I am impatient when I am excited about something.
I didn’t need to wait long to receive a comprehensive presentation that blew me away! - A site analysis, views of key problem areas and suggested solutions, functional use plan of the garden, inspiration and mood boards and two fantastic designs incorporating lots of potential areas for the sculptures. Now one thing I am not good at is making decisions for myself. Both designs were so good and so well thought out that I look back now and wonder if I made the right decision. But we go back to that commute and in the end, that had to be my deciding factor.
Design 1 ’The Eye’, took inspiration from the curving shapes of my peacock sculptures and my love of the loose cottage garden look with the sculptures nestled into the beds. It left the lawn predominately open with fast transit to the studio perfect for sack truck movements when shifting glass, lead, material and finished windows to and from the studio.
Design 2 'The gallery’, divided the garden into ‘rooms’ with the sculptures very much being up front and centre of the design. The underlying design being more geometric but softened with the planting. Whilst design 1 gave me the convenience of the M27 commute, design 2 took me on the B roads which I thought could get frustrating with a very heavy 2m long lead box.
‘The Eye’ it was and Vicky quickly worked up the design into a full proposal, now incorporating even more information, superimposing the old layout with the new, indicative sizes, planting summaries and suggestions. An absolute wealth of information to enable me go ahead and build and stock my garden. The colour palette was suggested by Vicky to complement not just the existing plants in the garden but also the sculptures and typical glass used within them. She hit the nail on the head with the palette picking out my favourite colours and I could really start to see the sculpture garden evolving.
Now, I am a very determined and able person but I am time poor and whilst pouring over the planting options with my glass of wine one Sunday evening I realised I knew I wanted and trusted Vicky to create the plating plan for me. So we entered phase 2 of the project. Key trees and feature plants were discussed and positioned. Both of us in agreement that the garden would have colour and interest all year round whilst being relatively low maintenance. Another huge document of information on the plants their locations and quantities to buy was presented to me.
I was planning to do the work myself from this point and had everything I needed to start but boy did I have my work cut out for me! Did I mention how determined I am? Well the garden design was agreed in September 24, I had patios built by the end of September. I started to order trees and plant stock in October and Robert my parents amazing gardener was drafted in every Friday from October to dig out, dig up, cut beds and plant everything with me helping. It’s now February and I have finally finished all the planting. It has been fantastic to plant through the winter allowing the plants to establish their roots in their new surroundings so they are raring to go for Spring. Vicky has been there all the way along with help and advice when I have needed it. I can’t say I have been the easiest of Vicky’s clients because I get so invested and involved in things I enjoy, I have adapted a few things along the way with everything met with positivity, encouragement and enthusiasm by Vicky. Quite frankly I have learned so much during this project I feel a bit like I have been to horticultural college, feel free to challenge me on the Latin names of the plants!
And back to that commute…Well now my commute to work is filled with impatience while I wait for Spring and the plants to grow…There is just no pleasing some people! I cannot wait.
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