a table and chairs covered with lichen; A grubby patio an overgrown bed full of weeds… We each have an outdoor space with corners that need attention. As many of us continue to work from home, spend more time in the garden and enjoy friends, there has been a growing demand for professionals to visit and beautify our gardens and terraces.
But, as reported earlier this summer, there’s a waiting list: The average garden designer has seen a 25% jump in inquiries over the past year, and according to the latest numbers, has seen their sales increase by 203%. The Garden Designers Association has reported a 62% increase in its student membership since the pandemic began.
So it’s no surprise that more and more people are turning to garden design as a career, not just out of demand, but out of a re-evaluation of their working lives. Three garden designers new to the profession explain why they’re replacing spreadsheets with seeds.
Sonia Pinto, 39, Former city attorney
I took a deep breath before telling my boss in May 2020 that I was leaving my stable legal career to become a garden designer. But the pandemic made me stop and think: Is this really what I want to do in five or 10 years?
Working in law is exciting and varied, and I loved the pace of my work. But for a long time, I knew I wanted to do something more creative and spend more time outdoors. Also, I have two young children. When we went into lockdown and I stopped hopping around, I assumed I’d spend more time with them, but it just didn’t work out that way. I ended up using that extra time at work.
I have always been interested in gardening, along with art and design, and am a passionate amateur gardener. I am fortunate to have what looks like a large lawn by London standards, and am in the process of creating a small wildflower meadow towards the back of it, to encourage the local wildlife.
Once I realized I could enroll in a course that is professionally recognized by the Society of Garden Designers, I handed my notice. With everything in disarray during the pandemic, making a major change suddenly seemed less important.
I started at the Oxford School of Garden Design last September. We have studied garden history, planting design, and building plans; We handle software packages, planning applications and tender documents. I was given a lecture on contract law, which I obviously felt quite comfortable with. I’ve found my experience as a lawyer helpful in other ways as well: I’m not afraid of big projects and I understand the importance of good client relationships.
But after 15 years of largely office work, I’m looking forward to swapping out my office outfit with a hard hat and boots.
sonyapinto.com
Zoe Claymore, 30, former government employee
At Ofsted, my workload was high and fast paced. During the pandemic, I started working from home, and my garden—a small, sunny urban plot of land—was a consolation. I was gardening every morning and lunchtime, which surprised me.
One day, I measured it, made a site plan and just started designing it. I haven’t read a book or watch any videos; I just got stuck and played with ideas. I’ve extracted herbs, cut down a damaged tree, planted vegetables, a cherry tree and hedges, built raised beds, and watched my garden develop through the seasons.
The pandemic made me realize that gardening, being outside, and being creative were really important to me. When I took care of a plant, in return I felt cared for. It took me out of myself: I felt like I was part of something bigger – and that was very healing. I think the pandemic has awakened people to the importance of making the most of outdoor spaces.
I’ve already realized that I don’t like working indoors all the time – I get headaches staring at the screen. But in the closed state, this feeling grew stronger. I wanted to work for myself. I wanted to see the fruits of my labor. I left my job in March 2021 and provided my garden design services to friends and family. I soon landed half a dozen jobs designing everything from small front gardens to portions of country estates.
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I’ve also designed a custom community bed at Hampton Court Palace for the Royal Horticultural Society. I planted marigolds, beetroot, alpine strawberries, salvia. To me, it symbolized what gardening during an epidemic had taught me: that life is vibrant and fleeting. When you call a garden, you realize that nothing lasts forever. But also there is always something to look forward to: the plant that dies this summer will return next year.
I look back now and think about how the pandemic set fire to me. It made me realize that you only live once. I started a course at the Inchbald School of Design knowing that changing careers was the right decision. This was something I needed to do, for my soul.
zoeclaymore.com
Felicity O’Rourke, 45 years old Former airline pilot and housewife mother
It was difficult to juggle my job as a pilot after I gave birth to my second child in 2010. I realized that I no longer enjoyed it. The sense of liberation that flying gave me has faded after eight years. So I took a career break and became a housewife mother.
In 2016, when my youngest was two and I was 40, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had to have major surgery, and that’s when I became interested in modifying our garden – a small, south-facing plot with raised flower beds. In times of stress, you go back to the comforting experiences you had when you were young. I come from a family of amazing gardeners and have fond memories of picking blackberries in my grandfather’s allotment and eating peas from the pod.
I had just started my Garden Design Diploma at the KLC School of Design in Chelsea Harbor when the first closure started; I graduated last December with honors. This summer, I won a Silver Medal for a Conceptual Show Garden in the Global Impact category at the Hampton Court Flower Show. My garden, called Extinction, had a plane crash. As a former pilot, this is what I immediately associate with the word “impact”.
The park is designed to highlight the threat of climate change and our exploitation of the natural world. Through the wreckage of the fuselage, people can see ancient primitive agriculture: tree ferns, ginkgo biloba and other ancient species. All of these plants have survived past mass extinction events and will undoubtedly survive the next. But we may not. The idea was to make people aware of that.
It was a real honor to win my first show garden award. It was amazing seeing how emotional people felt about it – how he connected with them.
I feel like, because of Covid, we’re at a tipping point. We have proven that we can make some drastic changes to our society as a result of an imminent threat. We can do this in response to the climate crisis, too. felicityorourkegardendesign.com