Beginnings

Growing up in the rich fauna and flora of South Africa has given me a unique perspective and design style. I grew up on the east coast, in a small city called Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. This city is unique because of its connection to all that makes South Africa truly great; the turquoise ocean is warm and the gold sand soft, the plants that grow along the coast are bright, vivid evergreens, and are loved by pollinators. Two hours from the city are the Drakensberg mountains, a breathtaking expanse of natural mountainous beauty known for its diverse plant life. Two hours in the opposite direction; game reserves or safaris, filled with wild animals and a completely different, but beautiful landscape. Being exposed to these completely different landscapes has allowed me the opportunity to get to know them, and to understand them, they are inherently entrenched into who I am as a person and a designer.

Connection

Sustainability, wildlife and re-connection to nature are at the forefront of my design aesthetic. I feel after the Covid19 world wide lockdown it’s become clear that human beings require nature and a connection to nature in order to survive and more importantly; thrive. Designing with both ornamental and edible plants creates an environment where a visitor is completely immersed in the garden, using every sense, transporting the visitor, ensuring stress relief and the essential re-connection with nature.

Interaction

I design using nature and my experiences in different parts of this wonderful earth as my inspiration. Taking in the different colours, textures, forms and natural aesthetics from all these different landscapes I've enjoyed, and incorporating them into my designs, allows the gardens I work on to sit effortlessly within their environment. I love the movement, and colour of natural grasses, and the fact that it provides a habitat for wildlife. Mixing colourful, long flowering perennials, evergreens, and herbs in with the grasses brings lovely colour, beautiful texture and vital insects into the garden. 
Natural tones of gold, brown, and different green hues, with pops of colour, creates a calm, happy feeling which energizes the visitor. 
All planting schemes are created specifically for pollinators and other creatures. I design in a way which considers how the colours of wildlife add to the rich, complex colour wheel of the garden. 
I also consider the aspect of the site, and how the sun interacts with the colours of the flora at different times of the day.
The outside area of a home should be an extension of the house, which is why I always work with the materials, colours, and dimensions of the house to ensure the design is cohesive and the property feels considered and aesthetically appealing.

Harmony

A garden is a space where the users should feel safe, peaceful and most at ease. My focus is to ensure that when a visitor steps into one of my gardens they feel completely transported. I want them to feel invited in, to pick a stem of lavender while being greeted by a bee, munch on a freshly picked strawberry, while wandering around the garden watching butterflies rest on Echinacea flowers, noticing a ladybug helping you control the aphid population that has taken a likening to your garden, while listening to the little robin sing his sweet tunes.