John Gilbert Garden Designer London

Urban garden for entertaining

johngilbert — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:30:51 +0000

This urban garden was designed specifically for relaxing and gently entertaining friends. The sandstone circle and the paths which approach it mean that the garden is accessible and inviting all year round. The high density of planting, however, prevents the hard surfaces dominating the main view of the space which is from a first- floor room. The planting itself is designed to provide colour and foliage interest throughout the year. The table and chairs are made of teak and there is a second, bistro-style set of metal table and chairs tucked away in the far corner.

Roof gardens and terraces

johngilbert — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:10:59 +0000

Roof gardens add a whole new dimension to urban living and even the smallest spaces can be exploited to advantage. This London penthouse has a larger area at the front which faces south and a smaller, narrower, north-facing one at the back.

It is really important to get the choice of plants right when you are creating gardens several floors up. Tough specimens are required to withstand the wind and it is a good idea, even when automatic irrigation is installed as it is here, to select plants that don’t dry out too easily.

Here the range of plants was chosen to provide colour and interest all year round and to have relatively low maintenance needs. The planters are of painted wood and galvanised steel .

The larger terrace, above, provides a wonderful space for outdoor entertaining and relaxing in the sun. The smaller, shadier, area (below) is perfect for a quiet breakfast or morning coffee - and, see the planters in the foreground, for growing salads and vegetables!

Courtyard garden

danfry — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:08:02 +0000

The brief for this garden was to create an oasis in the city with an eastern flavour and a dedicated space for meditation. I based the wooden pavilion on traditional Balinese ‘bales’ and used ‘exotics’ such as bamboo, banana and palms as well as more traditional planting.

Low maintenance garden

danfry — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:41:58 +0000

In this town garden the emphasis was on clean, simple lines with strong, mixed planting around the boundaries. A low-maintenance garden which will look good all year round.

Gardening on a slope

danfry — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:39:24 +0000

This was a garden that had lost its way and seemed much smaller than it actually was. The pronounced slope away from the house made it possible to divide the garden into discrete areas at descending levels, thus increasing the sense of space and making it feel much more interesting.

Landscaping a garden

danfry — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:48:29 +0000

Some gardens involve more work than others. Sometimes the planting is all that needs attention. In other gardens new hard landscaping can be incorporated within existing planting which is then added to and improved. In some cases, as in the one below, the site has to be completely cleared and a new garden built from scratch.

We are very experienced at designing, building and planting all kinds and very used to working in difficult conditions where access and movement are restricted.

Chelsea Flower Show Medal Winner

danfry — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:38:43 +0000

John and Curtis & Curtis Landscapes won a bronze medal at the 2005 Chelsea Flower Show for a city garden called ‘Work, Rest and Play’. Built from traditional materials, it was designed to make the maximum use of every square centimetre of a tiny urban space.

North London Garden in National Garden Scheme

danfry — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:37:29 +0000

John Gilbert and his wife Lynne open their own North London garden to the public on a June weekend every year. These pictures were taken this year on June 10th just before visitors began to arrive. All proceeds go to the various charities supported by the National Gardens Scheme. For details visit www.ngs.org.uk or see the Yellow Book, which is published annually and lists thousands of gardens which are open for viewing across England and Wales.

Work in progress

danfry — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:23:03 +0000

The ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures here show what a transformation good design and high quality landscaping work can achieve. This garden is, in fact, a work in progress: the tree and shrub planting has been done and the perennials will be put in next spring.

Disability Access Gardens

danfry — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:21:55 +0000

Garden designers love steps because changes of level can be exploited to make even the smallest garden more interesting. For those with mobility problems, however, they can be a nightmare. We redesigned this garden for a young wheelchair user.

The ‘before’ picture shows the majority of the garden completely cut off from her; now she can scoot up the ramp on to the lawn and thus get at the whole garden.