A Garden For Robin

Cyrus Design Team Information Simon Street Simon’s C.V would tell you that, although being the youngest of the Cyrus team (at 25), he brings along with him eight years of experience working within horticultural and landscape industries. Previously training in the art & design world, then moving into plant care and management at a tree and hardy plant nursery in Worcestershire, there finding a lust for gardens & planting and so going on to complete a National Diploma in Landscape & Garden Design at Pershore Horticultural College, where as part of a small team, completed the design, plant growing and on site construction of a small garden on Sunflower Street at The Chelsea Flower Show in 2002. From there he gained a position as a soft landscaper at a plants and gardens company in Gloucestershire, where he had the fortune to be involved in the installation of a large Show Garden at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show.	Home Inspiration List of Plants
Whilst completing his Design Degree, Simon has been producing planting plans for commercial sites nationwide as part of a brewery re-branding scheme. He has also completed several domestic projects from design, through to planting and maintenance. Once completing the degree Simon is hoping to start his own garden design & construction practice based in the Cotswolds. "I love working with plants and getting people exited about green spaces! The degree has been a real eye opener with regard to design, giving the opportunity to learn from and work with some really inspiring folk. Chelsea is a great way to show our passion for gardens, being a great experience and a fantastic opportunity, should end the degree on a real high note (fingers crossed!)."
John Walker Studying Garden Art and Design at LeedsMet has given me a great opportunity to re-focus my life-long interest in design, the natural landscape and horticulture. It’s been an inspirational 4 years, and I’ve gained invaluable experience and understanding of the processes of site analysis, research and design – all essential in creating lastingly beautiful outdoor places for people. My learning has inspired me to take a wider, more critical view of design and recent visits to Paris, Barcelona, New York and Copenhagen have given me a chance to internationalise my studies.
I’m very interested in the way that form, spatial composition and structure can influence the atmosphere of a place and the people who use it. I like to see clean, simple lines combined with high quality detail in hard landscaping – something that provides a backdrop against which plants can develop happily in the long-term. In planting, I have come to identify closest with a naturalistic philosophy, most often seen amongst the designers and plantspeople of Central and Northern Europe, for example Karl Foerster and Jens Jensen, through to Mien Ruys, Henk Gerritsen, and Piet Oudolf as well as Noël Kingsbury and Keith Wiley in the UK. The work of C. P. Broerse and latterly James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett in seeking sustainable naturalistic alternatives in public parkland and urban plantings has also greatly interested me. I love the drama and movement created by drifts of grasses and perennials under the changing light of a wide sky, and as I look forward to my new career, this is something I’d like to explore further as I look forward to the challenge of creating spaces that impact positively on our increasingly fragile environment. To design and build a garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is incredibly exciting – for me it’s a distillation of all we’ve learnt, not only about design, but about working with others and talking through ideas and resolving problems – into one crazy, intense experience. It’s been good to work with people who share the same objective and I’m really looking forward to seeing our garden come to life!
Dawn Johnson Moving house into a small village on the edge of the North Yorks Moors was the catalyst which triggered my passion in gardens. Encouraged by plant mad friends and with the support of my family, I took on the BA (Hons) Garden Art and Design course at Leeds and as the finale to this challenge decided to join with four like minded students to take on the ultimate design and planting experience of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Many design and planting styles have influenced my response to the design of outdoor spaces.
The calming simplicity of a Quranic inspired garden or the formality and genius of Andre le Notre: the subtle designs of Thomas Church or the challenging flair of Diarmuid Gavin, to the cool sophistication of Arabella Lennox-Boyd's designs have all been inspirational. The skilful and exuberant planting schemes of Jekyll, Lloyd, Chatto and Oudolf display a wealth of planting knowledge which appeal to all the senses and open the mind to many possibilities. With an increased emphasis on sustainability, low maintenance requirements and a responsible approach to the environment the art of garden design is a continuing challenge. It is my aim to imbue my designs with all the design sensitivity, plant knowledge, experience and skills at my disposal and to be at all times responsive to both the client needs and the site potential. I love what I'm doing and I hope to be able to bring to other people the joy and pleasure that being outdoors in a garden, in one's own special place, can bring. This can be a large or small space, shared with others or completely private, no matter. Above all it has to be regenerating and rewarding, sustainable and sustaining. To quote Thomas Church, "Gardens are for people". This should be the garden designer's prime directive; it's certainly mine. I hope that everyone who comes to Chelsea 2006 will draw some inspiration or idea from our "Garden for Robin"; we have all enjoyed creating it.
Paul Ashton A degree in Geography instilled in me a love for and understanding of the natural environment. Working as a nurseryman has provided knowledge and invaluable hands-on experience of working with plants, an essential element I feel in being able to design a successful garden. The Garden Art and Design degree has enabled the combining of these existing skills with new ones, culminating in a passion and ability to design high quality, usable garden spaces tailored to the people for whom they are created. Contact: mob 07740123457 North Yorkshire area.