The Art of Garden Design

Garden design is an art in itself, and, like any visual expression, comes in a myriad of styles and forms. I have really enjoyed working with Tom Austin over the past year and am a big fan of his aesthetic and the beautiful environments he creates. Witnessing the transformation of outdoor spaces through great design and craft has been an inspiring process. From initial site visits, to design concepts, to demolition, to digging over and then planting up – it’s been a real education.

Firstly, Tom – tell me a bit about what inspired you to become a garden designer and how did you get into it?

I originally trained in Graphic Design, which I enjoyed for years, but became increasingly aware of my efforts essentially persuading people to buy more stuff and lost a bit of love for it. I was eager for a better connection to the outdoors and nature. When I got my hands on my own tiny garden in London I really enjoyed the process of planning and considering the space – tweaking the planting, zones and layout. As I learnt more, this essentially lead me to start a journey in Horticulture and Garden Design.  

I’ve always enjoyed how you can take someone on a journey; through colour, form, pace, feeling etc. And this felt so transferable from graphic to garden design. 

For people not familiar with your work, how would you describe your garden design style and ethos?

Stylistically I try not to be too set – as no two sites, clients, briefs or surrounding environment are the same. Yet the landscapes I create definitely lean towards a loose, natural and relaxed feeling. I aim to create spaces that can evoke a feeling or story once you’re in them and give space for people to connect to the outdoors.

I favour materials in their raw form, ageing with the elements over time as patinas form. Re-purposing site materials is a biggie for me, it’s a nice way to extend the life of materials, create less impact and gives a new garden an instant story beyond its years. 

Locality is really important, sourcing materials from local suppliers (quarries, saw mills, nurseries) is an obvious one and should be a given. But equally, getting to know local history, geography and surroundings, understanding the context of a site can open up new ways in to a design. 

Balance or tension is also something I like to play with and informs the spaces I design. Tension between materials, the wild and the maintained, the mass and the void, new and the old. 

I can imagine there are many great aspects to your job, but what parts do you love the most?

Working with people on such a personal part of their life, and then seeing the effect of a new landscape on their day-to-day.

That I get to collaborate with many trades, makers and specialists. Each bringing something to the table. It might just be me in the studio, but there is a much bigger team needed to build a good garden.

Knowing that an outside space isn’t ever complete. You can pack up on the final planting day knowing it’s actually the beginning of the landscape and time for nature to start putting its mark down. 

And what parts are the most challenging in today’s climate?

Quite literally the climate! It’s becoming more and more important to adapt to our warming temperatures, periods of drought and extended rainfall with the right plant, but also material choices.

Where do you find the greatest sources of inspiration for your work?

A cliché but a lot of inspiration comes from the natural world, a heavy dose from the surrounding coastline; the colours, ever-changing winds, flora and fauna contrasted with the permanence of rock, cliffs and boulders. We’re pretty spoilt for that stuff round here in Cornwall. 

I often admire the work of landscape designers working on the West Coast of the US and Australia. The way they work with the natural landscape and materials is very inspiring.

Art and design inspires me a lot, the sense of repetition, pattern, balance and flow feeds into my garden design practice regularly. 

If you could design your dream garden tomorrow (infinite budget), what would it look like and where would it be?

To start with it would be working with trusting clients. That don’t want a massive lawn, have no neighbours to worry about, in a coastal location with lots of interesting materials to repurpose. Also a project that has a longer term plan, one I can be part of through its journey.

I’d love to work on a public or community-focused project in the future. Outdoor spaces can have such an impact on mental and physical wellbeing, yet not everyone has access to their own green space. To design a space that could be used by many and create a small positive impact on a wider group of people would be great. 

But big budgets aren’t always everything. Restrictions can often lead to different outcomes as you have to think laterally. I’m working with some close friends on a project at the moment with a very small budget, but they’re both makers and designers by trade with a keen interest in natural, renewable materials and a wealth of knowledge and willingness to give things a try. So I’m really looking forward to that one progressing. 

Top 5 plants every garden should have?

Tricky because they may not all thrive together in one garden, but in an imaginary world… 

• Erigeron karvinskianus (see above) – must be the handiest, most prolific flowering ground cover, especially down here in the South West.
• Ballota pseudodictamnus – soft domes of light green and flowers the bees go nuts for.
• Any Phlomis, because the winter ‘dead’ seed heads create striking black dots held up high above the ground
• Anemanthele lessoniana. An evergreen grass that has a seasonal change as the foliage tints orange and red. Happy in full shade to full sun and even has a nice feathery flowerhead.
• Acacia pravissima. An odd little tree with tiny little triangular leaves on long weeping branches. Trees are going to be even more important as temperatures rise for offering shade, so had to get one in. 

Best gardening tip you’ve been given?  

Maybe not gardening-specific, but I heard Dan Pearson talk on a podcast recently about welcoming errors or mistakes. Being able to accept something hasn’t turned out but learning from that experience. That rang true with me. 

On a more literal gardening note, ‘right plant, right place’ has to be the number one piece of advice. With so many plants readily available, it can be easy to see something you like in a nursery or magazine, get it home, plant it up only to see it struggle. Each plant has a different set of needs, sun~shade, soil type, wind exposure, watering requirements etc. So the best way to go about it is look at the spot you need to fill, take note of the immediate environment, the dappled afternoon shade from a nearby tree, the boggy ground, the shelter from a wall… and base your purchase(s) off that. And try grouping plants with the same needs together.

See more of Tom’s work online 

View Gallery I 

View Gallery 2