At that time I think she was more interested in ponies, but she did also have a love of growing things. While Carol has her cottage garden and Monty has his manor grounds, Joe Swift is a city gardener through and through. Find out more on our website (link in bio).
I wanted to play football and my mum gardened around us. A lawn; a bed of hybrid tea roses that were all diseased; a bed of dahlias – they went through this ritual of digging them up and storing them in the garage; and these apple trees that my brothers and I were enlisted to pick and prune. Diarmuid Gavin's pyramid, one of the most controversial gardens at this year's Chelsea, won a silver-gilt medal, and an award for the most imaginative garden. He filled it with rabbits, until finally they died. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Daddy Long Legs could cause destruction to lawns, This year will see a bumper crop of sweet apples, 10 gardening trends predicted to be huge in 2021, The best flowers for your zodiac sign revealed, 10 solar powered garden lights to buy now, 10 solar-powered water features to buy now, Country Living, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. . I thought of it as a lab, pruning things a bit drastically, and Mum would come home and say, 'Oh my God!'. There’s a creativity to gardening – going out and doing your own thing. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2014. ... and although he went on to do a foundation course in art and design, he dropped out to join a band. This content is imported from Instagram.

And very much from her is the idea of bringing the odd sprig of this or that into the house, bringing the outside in. A lot of people have really stressful jobs and lives, and what it can do to your wellbeing is great. She is very industrious, methodical, and I think I got that from her. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2018. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. I remember once growing an apple tree from a seed and it got to 6in tall, then mum got landscapers in and my tree disappeared. My idea is to plant and leave it. The most important thing is to have space for the dogs and children.". Winning a gold medal at RHS Chelsea flower show for his design in 2012, Joe has been a presenter and designer on many television programmes, including Garden … Joe "I didn't do that much gardening as a child.I wanted to play football and my mum gardened around us.

His mother is the writer Margaret Drabble, his father is the actor Clive Swift, who read English Literature at Cambridge and went on to become famous as Richard Bucket in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. Please choose a different delivery location. Joe also undertakes bespoke design commissions. Every time I go round there, I get excited to see how it's changed.". With a trained sense of colour and space, she creates beautiful gardens that let you escape from urban life. . "It's ironic that I subsequently went into the media and now write about gardening, but the difference is that it's mainly practical, rather than creative fiction.

I remember a rhododendron called 'Polar Bear' with a wonderful scent which we always had in our sitting room. Joe reveals how to make the best of existing elements, how to conceal less pleasing aspects, and how to create privacy and the illusion of space so that you can make the very most of whatever area you have. She doesn't like fuss and bother. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Joe doesn't just tell us what we could do, he shows us, by giving great examples of good design and then pointing out the highlights.' Being a professional and still living at home, I was a little bit more gung ho. Joe is very keen on euphorbias and I've got them at our house on the coast. He has written three books - The Plant Room, Joe’s Urban Garden Handbook, and Joe’s Allotment, published in April 2009.

Andy "My parents had the typical hideous garden.

Rather than limiting how you can use the space, think about how you’re going to use it first and design around that. Jun 27, 2013 - Joe co-founded Modular which creates high quality, contemporary outdoor space tailored to individual needs and budget.
"Mum still has the rectangular lawn, but now with more fashionable shrubs such as pittosporum, trachelospermum, bamboos… There's a lot less bare soil now.". Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Joe Swift. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Joe, on the other hand, was never bookish. I went for much less intense gardening, and not having such a lot of bare soil. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. There are general trends but a garden can take 10 or 20 years to mature, so if you go too trendy by the time it’s looking good it can be a bit passé. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I have read many reviews and in my opinion it seems everyone is at different stages of gardening and has different styles and expectations of what should be in a gardening book so I wont be looking at 5 star reviews in future for gardening books instead I will just read what people say. Try and think confidently as if you’re a garden designer, rather than ‘I’m an amateur I’m just having a little stab at this’, and actually you get more confident. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Marion "I wouldn't let Andy loose designing my garden for me, because my garden is mine, just as his designs are his. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Sponsored by the DIY chain Homebase, on behalf of the Teenage Cancer Trust, Swift's first Chelsea garden features a palette of copper, green and white, using rust-coloured irises, libertia and euphorbias. Something went wrong. The whole thing was a bit of a chore. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Chapters take you from the initial assessment and planning stages, to selecting suitable plants and hard materials, quick makeovers and year-round maintenance to keep your garden looking at its best. "When I began gardening, I started to take over. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. ", Faith "I have two gardens. He won a Gold Medal at Chelsea in 2012. "I used to grow dahlias, and that was a standing joke because he mentioned it in an article and I protested. Please try your request again later. Joe also undertakes bespoke design commissions. "I learned from my mum an absolute passion for plants and how they go together. Joe's Urban Garden Handbook [Swift, Joe] on Amazon.com. I was very keen on wildflowers from a young age – that very much formed the basis of my love of gardening. This book is truly FA-BU-LOUS! "Sarah came to the gardening world as a florist, and being a florist she is much more organised than I am. If you’ve got a space use it. He comes here with three energetic boys and his dog, and I have my dog.