Good Garden Design Is More About People Than Plants
When you picture a garden, you might think of colourful flowers, shady trees, or neatly pruned shrubs. But what truly brings a garden to life isn’t just what grows in it, it’s what’s experienced in it too. Here, Norfolk-based garden designer, Rachel Birtwhistle, explains why good garden design is about more than paving and plants – It’s about people.
Designing For Experiences, Not Just Looks
As a garden designer, my first question is always “How will the owners of this space interact within it?” I don’t just think, “What plants will look good here?” but instead, “What experience do we want to create here?” “How will people move, sit, play, get together, relax and enjoy this outside space?”
By designing for experiences, gardens become more than just a pretty space; they’re immersive. Experiences are as broad in scope as plants are – there are millions of both – but matching them up is the key to a really good garden design. For example, a family-friendly garden might have a lawn to play on, raised beds to minimise maintenance and damage from games, and paths wide enough for prams, pushchairs and bicycles.
In contrast, a garden for relaxation may focus on secluded areas, including the soothing sound of a water feature and grasses that sway and rustle in the breeze. The best gardens are designed with people in mind; ensuring their outside space meets their unique needs.
Gardens are Personal Places
It’s always a huge privilege to be asked to design a garden because they are incredibly personal places. They should reflect the tastes and passions of the people who use them. Getting to know who my clients are shapes the garden I will design for them.
For example, a Mediterranean-inspired garden might reflect a client’s love for warm, sun-soaked landscapes, while a Japanese-style garden can embody a client’s composed and orderly personality. Gardens can, and I think should, contain plants that have special significance – roses that remind you of someone special, herbs for cooking, or a tree planted to mark a milestone. Over time, gardens become living records of our lives, filled with plants that mark moments and tell stories about people.
Spaces That Grow With Us
Gardens are never static – they grow and change with us. For me, just like many people, my garden started off as a play area for children, with lawns and sturdy plants, but one day will have the potential to evolve into a much-desired, peaceful oasis … One day!
The point is, that our gardens grow alongside us, adapting to our needs, evolving as our stories unfold, and reflecting the different chapters of our lives. Good garden design is generous. It allows for life to unfold within it.
People Give Gardens Purpose
When people interact with a garden—whether relaxing with a book, having a BBQ with friends, or playing on a swing—they transform it from a simple outdoor area into a meaningful, personal space. Through these interactions, people bring purpose to gardens, making them special spaces that resonate with life.
I wholeheartedly believe that gardens are at their best when they evolve to meet the needs of the people who own them. In the end, pathways and plants may form the landscape, but it’s people who bring it to life.
