On 13 February 2024, Steve Lovell gave us an interesting talk on his approach to garden design after spending many years as a garden designer based in Lincolnshire. He encouraged us to think beyond flowers and look at ‘plants’ from the perspective of their foliage, structure, colourful stems, berries, seedheads and bark when choosing trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. This provides texture and interest across the seasons when the flowers have faded and encourages wildlife into our gardens too.
He suggested we look at ferns and ivy for the texture and colour of the foliage. In addition, dogwood and willow for the range of different colours their stems provide and to think of coloured foliage as a backdrop to set the stage in any garden. He encouraged us to take a step back, look around our gardens, and plant to explore texture, shape and colour. He even mentioned that he cuts off insubstantial flowers so that the leaves can take centre stage!
When choosing which tree to plant he recommended looking at the bark, shape of the leaves and berries to provide all-round interest and to encourage wildlife into our gardens across the seasons. He showed photos of Acers and Birches with their peeling bark adding interest and texture to any setting and the Tibetan Ornamental Cherry with its stunning grainy bark.
One of the constant themes throughout the talk was Steve’s love of nature and wildlife and his focus on designing gardens with wildlife in mind. He also stressed the importance of hard pruning to maintain the colourful display with the caveat of knowing the special requirements of our plants.
You can find Steve at www.stevelovellgreenspaces.co.uk
