Small gardens are often the hardest to do. It's all about attention to detail.
I have a new project that I'm just starting. It's not even the whole garden, just a 100 sq metre area to one side of the house that needs brightening up.
The client is apparently a big fan of the UK garden design programmes on TV. She doesn't want the 'grassy style' plants that are so prevalent in WA (we're talking the 'trendy monocots' again!). She is looking for something more lush without being a drain on water resources. Flower colours to be pink and white.
It's been three years since I designed such a small garden, but I like a challenge !
The project will be a DIY build and I'll up date the blog and Facebook with pics as the garden is built....though I'm not sure when that will be.
Expect to see the design in the website 'Portfolio' by the end of next month.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Gardens....by design ?
I had an update from the contractor regarding the planting at the Secret Harbour project.
It appears that lack of supply of plants was the major problem and so the contractor gave the clients some suggestions as to alternative plants and the clients chose what they wanted.
Let me deal with the first point. Lack of supply and lack of variety is a major problem here in WA. Lack of supply can be put down largely to the booming economy and plants being snapped up by developers by the truck load, leaving little for the lowly designer to work with. Added to the problem is that the choice of plants is quite poor and the designer ends up with a very limited palette with which to design. Coming from the UK, where pretty much any plant is available, somewhere, having to start a planting plan with a small list of plants that are available, is something of a culture shock. We are not designing with the plants we want, we are designing with what we can get.
I have also found this to be a problem with the City Beach project, where half the plants available in April (when the planting plan was drafted) are now no longer in stock. Many that are, are of poor size and quality. Part of the reason for this is due to seasonal fluctuations in stock. Whilst mid-winter is one of the better times of year to plant (less heat and drought stress) it is not a good time of year for nursery stock. Things will undoubtedly pick up in the spring.
As a consequence, the clients for Secret Harbour were shown a variety of alternative plants by the contractor and chose those that they liked the most. They are happy and I guess that I should be happy too.
The trouble is, I’m not. And the reason? Well, I don’t think that the clients have received the best advice when it came to plant choice and any design element. They ended up with regimented row upon row of small, spiky plants, pretty much the same as any ‘developers’ garden’ that you can see the length and breadth of the Perth metro area. I had created something unique and they got something generic.
Which is absolutely fine, if that is what you want, if having something different doesn’t appeal to you. It certainly makes my job as a garden designer far easier. Having only 5 or 6 different plants in the whole garden, I can do in only 5 minutes (OK, make that 15!), rather than spending a day or more working out a well thought out planting plan. Less time for me means less cost for the clients, so they will save money too.
I am told that this is the ‘Perth-style’ of garden, one that has evolved over many years. The question I would ask, though, is “who evolved it?” Certainly not landscape or garden designers. Until 3 years ago, there were no qualified designers in Perth, except for a precious few who trained elsewhere (UK) and would have had little general influence in WA. I suggest that these gardens were “evolved” by landscape contractors (and builders) who knew nothing about design and, often, little about horticulture. They could lay patios and timber decking, but couldn’t actually design a garden (see my first blog – Jan 2010). Moreover, the plants where often an afterthought. ‘Just mass plant a few yuccas and cordylines and dianellas and that’ll be good enough.’ Let’s face it, contractors are blokes. Plants are generally a ‘woman thing’ and are not really of much interest to chaps. Consequently, you end up with planting that has little style and, worse still, plants in places where they shouldn’t be.
An example of how a builder plants is my own ‘builder constructed’ garden. I have yuccas against a south facing wall, when they should be in full sun. After only two years, these are already starting to fail. They have lost their lower leaves and are losing foliage colour. They are also far too close to walls and the leaves are looking tatty as a consequence. I have liriope muscari in full sun, when it is a shade plant. It looks frazzled. I have lawn in an area that has no direct sun at all between April and October. It is full of patches where it has died off. But the builder/contractor didn't care about that when the garden was planted; the garden looked good when the house was sold. Why should they worry what it looks like 2 years down the line because it’s no longer their problem.
Personally, I’d like to rip the whole lot out and do it properly. Unfortunately, I don’t own the house!
As someone who has actually trained in the profession, I appreciate that mass planting in rows and rows of any one plant actually looks pretty boring. It reminds me of a vegetable patch. Garden designers are trained to mix colours of foliage and flowers – colours that complement each other and their surroundings; to take into account the times of the year that a plant will flower; the size the plant will grow to and the foliage texture and to mix and match accordingly. It’d be a shame to waste that training by planting a 'design' that ignored that knowledge.
"An attractive garden is composed of layers consisting of low, mid and upper level plants. Include at least three levels in your design."
This is not from a book on UK gardens. It is from Marcelle Nankervis's - Plants for Australian Dry Gardens.
I would suggest that planting a large area with the same plant is not attractive at all. You end up with a very flat design.
“I face a constant struggle with builders who fail to grasp the concept of ‘design’. Their attitude seems to be ‘we have always done things this way, so why should we do it any differently?’”
This is a word for word quote….not from myself, but from an interior designer I met last month. An immigrant to WA, she has a definite feeling that she is banging her head against a brick wall when it comes to educating some builders about her profession. They simply do not understand that a designer does something for a reason, not just the hell of it.
I recently spoke to a garden designer who has been in Perth for over fifteen years (one of the precious few) and who has faced the same uphill struggle with builders and contractors throughout that period. I don’t envy her. She for one agreed with me that Perth planting design needs to move on and be open to new ideas. Otherwise it could end up ‘evolving’ into a dead end, which I fear may be where it may be heading now.
There are new landscape designers graduating from TAFE Murdoch every year now including, thankfully, some contractors discovering design for the first time.
However, even here, I do worry that some of what is being taught may just be making matters worse. Part of the plants course is about “Trendy monocots”. These are plants that include yuccas, cordylines, dietes, dianellas etc. It's the word 'trendy' that bothers me. By calling these plants ‘trendy’ implies that they are fashionable plants to use in garden design. Shouldn’t we be moving beyond following fashion and actually be trend setters, coming up with new ideas rather than simply doing what everyone else does?
There have been 3 years of graduates from TAFE Murdoch so far. As these graduates mix with the contracting and building community, they should bring new ideas with them. Let’s hope that these new ideas are accepted by the wider landscaping community.
Design is about innovation and change. Without these factors, it will not progress, it will stagnate.
I, for one, hope that that doesn’t happen.
While we are talking about builders, (and at the risk of alienating most builders out there, having probably alienated a few contractors) another interesting point arose in my chat with the interior designer. Not only do many builders not understand design, they also hugely overcharge for their services. As designers (both interior and exterior) we are concerned to get the best deal for our clients. The best product for the budget. Building companies, on the other hand, are out to make money from their clients. That’s why they employ salesmen.
A case in point was a kitchen about to be installed in a house, when the interior designer got involved. The kitchen was to have cost $75,000. For that, the builder would have supplied a basic (and not very expensive) kitchen with no style or design to it at all (actual cost $40,000). When the designer got involved, she persuaded the client that for $75,000 they could have a stunning kitchen that would be designed by her and built with top quality materials by top quality craftsmen that she, the designer, would recommend.
The client was delighted with the result; the builder was not pleased! They had lost over $35,000 of profit but, and it’s a BIG but, the client got an awesome and unique kitchen and (more importantly) one that will add serious value to the property.
And it’s the same with gardens. A designed garden will add value to the property, especially if it stands out from all the others.
I have had this clash of interest with the Dalkeith garden that is not featured in this blog (see my Facebook page and Portfolio). Here the client was stretched with the budget for the garden. However, he was being charged by the builder for a basic 2 metre wide path around the whole property, using cheap paving slabs.
Cost? $40,000! That's a staggering $182 per square metre! For cheap paving.....
I advised the client to do away with that cost and add it to the garden budget. That way instead of a few cheap pavers, he could now afford stunning silver travertine limestone paving at the rear of the property and an exposed aggregate driveway. The client was pleased. The builder was not. He had lost maybe $30-35,000 of profit on a simple path that was simply overpriced. But the client would have had a fantastic garden.
I say “would have had”, because the builder then persuaded the client to do away with the gazebo in the design, as it ‘didn’t look right with the house’. (It did, but that’s the line the salesman took.) He then persuaded the client to have a pavilion instead! I dread to think what that cost, but I’m guessing way more than the original $10,000 for the gazebo; a cost that the client was already baulking at. Consequently, the garden budget is blown again and my design can no longer be built. I am intrigued as to what will be left of my original design. It should be finished before Christmas. I’ll let you know.
It’s all the ‘extras’ that the builder adds on that pushes the eventual price up. Start with a house build budget of $500,000 and end up paying $750,000. It happens all too often, as many, many people have told me.
So the bottom line is, if you don’t want to spend a fortune on what is often an inferior product, get a designer in and end up with a product that not only looks better but is much better value for money.
Now there’s an incentive to employ a designer.
You get a better product and it’ll save you money!
It appears that lack of supply of plants was the major problem and so the contractor gave the clients some suggestions as to alternative plants and the clients chose what they wanted.
Let me deal with the first point. Lack of supply and lack of variety is a major problem here in WA. Lack of supply can be put down largely to the booming economy and plants being snapped up by developers by the truck load, leaving little for the lowly designer to work with. Added to the problem is that the choice of plants is quite poor and the designer ends up with a very limited palette with which to design. Coming from the UK, where pretty much any plant is available, somewhere, having to start a planting plan with a small list of plants that are available, is something of a culture shock. We are not designing with the plants we want, we are designing with what we can get.
I have also found this to be a problem with the City Beach project, where half the plants available in April (when the planting plan was drafted) are now no longer in stock. Many that are, are of poor size and quality. Part of the reason for this is due to seasonal fluctuations in stock. Whilst mid-winter is one of the better times of year to plant (less heat and drought stress) it is not a good time of year for nursery stock. Things will undoubtedly pick up in the spring.
As a consequence, the clients for Secret Harbour were shown a variety of alternative plants by the contractor and chose those that they liked the most. They are happy and I guess that I should be happy too.
The trouble is, I’m not. And the reason? Well, I don’t think that the clients have received the best advice when it came to plant choice and any design element. They ended up with regimented row upon row of small, spiky plants, pretty much the same as any ‘developers’ garden’ that you can see the length and breadth of the Perth metro area. I had created something unique and they got something generic.
Which is absolutely fine, if that is what you want, if having something different doesn’t appeal to you. It certainly makes my job as a garden designer far easier. Having only 5 or 6 different plants in the whole garden, I can do in only 5 minutes (OK, make that 15!), rather than spending a day or more working out a well thought out planting plan. Less time for me means less cost for the clients, so they will save money too.
I am told that this is the ‘Perth-style’ of garden, one that has evolved over many years. The question I would ask, though, is “who evolved it?” Certainly not landscape or garden designers. Until 3 years ago, there were no qualified designers in Perth, except for a precious few who trained elsewhere (UK) and would have had little general influence in WA. I suggest that these gardens were “evolved” by landscape contractors (and builders) who knew nothing about design and, often, little about horticulture. They could lay patios and timber decking, but couldn’t actually design a garden (see my first blog – Jan 2010). Moreover, the plants where often an afterthought. ‘Just mass plant a few yuccas and cordylines and dianellas and that’ll be good enough.’ Let’s face it, contractors are blokes. Plants are generally a ‘woman thing’ and are not really of much interest to chaps. Consequently, you end up with planting that has little style and, worse still, plants in places where they shouldn’t be.
An example of how a builder plants is my own ‘builder constructed’ garden. I have yuccas against a south facing wall, when they should be in full sun. After only two years, these are already starting to fail. They have lost their lower leaves and are losing foliage colour. They are also far too close to walls and the leaves are looking tatty as a consequence. I have liriope muscari in full sun, when it is a shade plant. It looks frazzled. I have lawn in an area that has no direct sun at all between April and October. It is full of patches where it has died off. But the builder/contractor didn't care about that when the garden was planted; the garden looked good when the house was sold. Why should they worry what it looks like 2 years down the line because it’s no longer their problem.
Personally, I’d like to rip the whole lot out and do it properly. Unfortunately, I don’t own the house!
As someone who has actually trained in the profession, I appreciate that mass planting in rows and rows of any one plant actually looks pretty boring. It reminds me of a vegetable patch. Garden designers are trained to mix colours of foliage and flowers – colours that complement each other and their surroundings; to take into account the times of the year that a plant will flower; the size the plant will grow to and the foliage texture and to mix and match accordingly. It’d be a shame to waste that training by planting a 'design' that ignored that knowledge.
"An attractive garden is composed of layers consisting of low, mid and upper level plants. Include at least three levels in your design."
This is not from a book on UK gardens. It is from Marcelle Nankervis's - Plants for Australian Dry Gardens.
I would suggest that planting a large area with the same plant is not attractive at all. You end up with a very flat design.
“I face a constant struggle with builders who fail to grasp the concept of ‘design’. Their attitude seems to be ‘we have always done things this way, so why should we do it any differently?’”
This is a word for word quote….not from myself, but from an interior designer I met last month. An immigrant to WA, she has a definite feeling that she is banging her head against a brick wall when it comes to educating some builders about her profession. They simply do not understand that a designer does something for a reason, not just the hell of it.
I recently spoke to a garden designer who has been in Perth for over fifteen years (one of the precious few) and who has faced the same uphill struggle with builders and contractors throughout that period. I don’t envy her. She for one agreed with me that Perth planting design needs to move on and be open to new ideas. Otherwise it could end up ‘evolving’ into a dead end, which I fear may be where it may be heading now.
There are new landscape designers graduating from TAFE Murdoch every year now including, thankfully, some contractors discovering design for the first time.
However, even here, I do worry that some of what is being taught may just be making matters worse. Part of the plants course is about “Trendy monocots”. These are plants that include yuccas, cordylines, dietes, dianellas etc. It's the word 'trendy' that bothers me. By calling these plants ‘trendy’ implies that they are fashionable plants to use in garden design. Shouldn’t we be moving beyond following fashion and actually be trend setters, coming up with new ideas rather than simply doing what everyone else does?
There have been 3 years of graduates from TAFE Murdoch so far. As these graduates mix with the contracting and building community, they should bring new ideas with them. Let’s hope that these new ideas are accepted by the wider landscaping community.
Design is about innovation and change. Without these factors, it will not progress, it will stagnate.
I, for one, hope that that doesn’t happen.
While we are talking about builders, (and at the risk of alienating most builders out there, having probably alienated a few contractors) another interesting point arose in my chat with the interior designer. Not only do many builders not understand design, they also hugely overcharge for their services. As designers (both interior and exterior) we are concerned to get the best deal for our clients. The best product for the budget. Building companies, on the other hand, are out to make money from their clients. That’s why they employ salesmen.
A case in point was a kitchen about to be installed in a house, when the interior designer got involved. The kitchen was to have cost $75,000. For that, the builder would have supplied a basic (and not very expensive) kitchen with no style or design to it at all (actual cost $40,000). When the designer got involved, she persuaded the client that for $75,000 they could have a stunning kitchen that would be designed by her and built with top quality materials by top quality craftsmen that she, the designer, would recommend.
The client was delighted with the result; the builder was not pleased! They had lost over $35,000 of profit but, and it’s a BIG but, the client got an awesome and unique kitchen and (more importantly) one that will add serious value to the property.
And it’s the same with gardens. A designed garden will add value to the property, especially if it stands out from all the others.
I have had this clash of interest with the Dalkeith garden that is not featured in this blog (see my Facebook page and Portfolio). Here the client was stretched with the budget for the garden. However, he was being charged by the builder for a basic 2 metre wide path around the whole property, using cheap paving slabs.
Cost? $40,000! That's a staggering $182 per square metre! For cheap paving.....
I advised the client to do away with that cost and add it to the garden budget. That way instead of a few cheap pavers, he could now afford stunning silver travertine limestone paving at the rear of the property and an exposed aggregate driveway. The client was pleased. The builder was not. He had lost maybe $30-35,000 of profit on a simple path that was simply overpriced. But the client would have had a fantastic garden.
I say “would have had”, because the builder then persuaded the client to do away with the gazebo in the design, as it ‘didn’t look right with the house’. (It did, but that’s the line the salesman took.) He then persuaded the client to have a pavilion instead! I dread to think what that cost, but I’m guessing way more than the original $10,000 for the gazebo; a cost that the client was already baulking at. Consequently, the garden budget is blown again and my design can no longer be built. I am intrigued as to what will be left of my original design. It should be finished before Christmas. I’ll let you know.
It’s all the ‘extras’ that the builder adds on that pushes the eventual price up. Start with a house build budget of $500,000 and end up paying $750,000. It happens all too often, as many, many people have told me.
So the bottom line is, if you don’t want to spend a fortune on what is often an inferior product, get a designer in and end up with a product that not only looks better but is much better value for money.
Now there’s an incentive to employ a designer.
You get a better product and it’ll save you money!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Current projects
My blog has been sadly negelected over the last six months. An indication of how busy I have been!
I currently have 2 projects under construction, both nearing completion.
Secret Harbour - this was designed back in September last year. Construction started in April and hopefully will be finished by the end of July - see pics below 'before' and 'during'. "After" pics will be added once planting has taken place and again in about a year once the plants have become established.
Update Aug 5th 2010 - You will see below photos of the garden almost completed - just the synthetic lawn to be laid.
The plants shown are not those chosen by myself for the planting plan. I am waiting to hear from the client as to why my planting design has not been followed (which, of course, is the client's perogative).
As I state on my website, I try to design gardens that are more than just 'rows of spiky plants' - gardens which are somewhat generic. I had designed this garden with undulating drifts of a variety of mainly native plants suitable for the coastal location. This was especially the case with the road verge area. Foliage was to have been silver or mid-green with white or yellow flowers, throughout. These colours would have worked well with the burgundy garden walls.
Many of the plants actually used here are already too big for the beds in which they have been planted (yuccas). Some have been planted in places that are unsuitable and will not thrive as a consequence.
Knowing what plants should go where, how big they will grow, what colours work well together, and what materials to use, is the skill of the landscape designer. It is what the client is paying for. Ideally, the designer's role should not stop with the finished design. He or she should be involved with the building and planting of the garden so that the designer can make sure that the contractor follows the design approved by the client. The pros and cons of any alterations can be discussed with the client and contractor during the build process. It may cost a little more in project management fees, but the client will have unique a garden to be proud of and which will stand the test of time.
BEFORE
City Beach - this was a rush job. The client wanted a full design with planting plan in only 3 weeks. Again 'before', 'during' and 'after' pics are shown below. Planting is due to start this week and the garden should be finished in mid- August. I'll update the blog over that period showing how the garden is progressing.
5th August 2010 - The final stages of planting will take place next week. This will be the verge area where 10 pencil pines will be planted along with rosemary and African box hedging. The majority will be lawned. I worked with the building company, discussing the features required and any variations to the design or building works. When it came to planting, I worked with the contractors to check that the correct plants were being ordered & delivered, alternatives were arranged and agreed with the client and that the plants were planted in the correct place. Supply of the right plants was a real problem here. There really was very little available ! Despite the planting of many advanced trees, the garden does look somewhat sparse at the moment. A short term solution to that "just planted" look is to plant annual bedding plants that can be weeded out as the shrubs grow. Clients are often surprised at how quickly plants grow in the first year. Good soil preparation is always important, especialy in the sandy soils around Perth.
Final garden photos should be posted by the end of next week.
I currently have 2 projects under construction, both nearing completion.
Secret Harbour - this was designed back in September last year. Construction started in April and hopefully will be finished by the end of July - see pics below 'before' and 'during'. "After" pics will be added once planting has taken place and again in about a year once the plants have become established.
Update Aug 5th 2010 - You will see below photos of the garden almost completed - just the synthetic lawn to be laid.
The plants shown are not those chosen by myself for the planting plan. I am waiting to hear from the client as to why my planting design has not been followed (which, of course, is the client's perogative).
As I state on my website, I try to design gardens that are more than just 'rows of spiky plants' - gardens which are somewhat generic. I had designed this garden with undulating drifts of a variety of mainly native plants suitable for the coastal location. This was especially the case with the road verge area. Foliage was to have been silver or mid-green with white or yellow flowers, throughout. These colours would have worked well with the burgundy garden walls.
Many of the plants actually used here are already too big for the beds in which they have been planted (yuccas). Some have been planted in places that are unsuitable and will not thrive as a consequence.
Knowing what plants should go where, how big they will grow, what colours work well together, and what materials to use, is the skill of the landscape designer. It is what the client is paying for. Ideally, the designer's role should not stop with the finished design. He or she should be involved with the building and planting of the garden so that the designer can make sure that the contractor follows the design approved by the client. The pros and cons of any alterations can be discussed with the client and contractor during the build process. It may cost a little more in project management fees, but the client will have unique a garden to be proud of and which will stand the test of time.
BEFORE
 |
| Rear garden |
 |
| Rear garden |
 |
| South side |
 |
Front garden |
 |
| Side path |
DURING
 |
| Front garden |
 |
| Side path |
  |
| South side paving and retaining wall |
 |
Rear garden showing circular lawn, curved seating and raised patio Rear garden showing circular lawn, post-planting - synthetic lawn still to lay. |
 |
South side showing retaining wall South side showing retaining wall - preparation for synthetic lawn  Front garden  Rear garden - awaiting circular synthetic lawn  Rear garden facing water wall - plants and pebbles but no synthetic lawn yet  Rear garden - from raised patio |
AFTER
 |
| Verge area - planted with a prostrate grevillea and kangaroo paw (in the distance). My design was to have used drifts of a variety of coastal natives of varying colours and heights. This is the contractor's design.  Front garden  Rear garden - facing raised patio, waterwall and circualr synthetic lawn  Rear garden - from raised patio  South side - retaining wall, synthetic grass, paving and grass tree. This is not a good position for a grass tree. Not only is it on the south side of the building, it is under a balcony. It will never get any direct sunlight. It needs 4-5 hours per day minimum. Not part of my design!  Front garden - grass trees  South side  Front garden |
City Beach - this was a rush job. The client wanted a full design with planting plan in only 3 weeks. Again 'before', 'during' and 'after' pics are shown below. Planting is due to start this week and the garden should be finished in mid- August. I'll update the blog over that period showing how the garden is progressing.
5th August 2010 - The final stages of planting will take place next week. This will be the verge area where 10 pencil pines will be planted along with rosemary and African box hedging. The majority will be lawned. I worked with the building company, discussing the features required and any variations to the design or building works. When it came to planting, I worked with the contractors to check that the correct plants were being ordered & delivered, alternatives were arranged and agreed with the client and that the plants were planted in the correct place. Supply of the right plants was a real problem here. There really was very little available ! Despite the planting of many advanced trees, the garden does look somewhat sparse at the moment. A short term solution to that "just planted" look is to plant annual bedding plants that can be weeded out as the shrubs grow. Clients are often surprised at how quickly plants grow in the first year. Good soil preparation is always important, especialy in the sandy soils around Perth.
Final garden photos should be posted by the end of next week.
BEFORE
 |
| Corner plot showing large retaining wall |
 |
| South side garden |
 |
| Driveway |
 |
| Rear garden |
 |
| Rear garden |
 |
| Side path |
 |
| South side path |
 |
| Front door area |
 |
Pool area DURING |
 |
South side garden |
 |
Garden - south side |
 |
| Driveway view into south side garden |
 |
Pool area steps and paving |
 |
Rear garden - trellis construction |
 |
| Rear garden - bay trees and trachelospermum. Trellis posts installed on top of the wall. |
 |
| Rear garden - bay trees against the wall. The black plastic sheeting will be removed from the sandstone columns once the garden has been completed & prior to planting of the wisteria. |
 |
| Verge area - awaiting planting with pencil pines, african box and rosemary |
More photos to be added later
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Water, water everywhere........
In Perth, we are in a privileged postion regarding water supply.
In effect we have fresh water where there shouldn't be that much. We are on the edge of a huge desert, in a place where it may not rain for months, yet there seems to be no shortage of the stuff. This, as those in the know will tell you, is largely down to the aquifer way beneath the city, which is now being tapped at an extraordinary rate.
A natural resource to be tapped as if it was an oil well, some have said.
But this is no longer an infinite resource. Thanks to massive population growth, that well of plenty is being used up. It cannot and will not last.
Coming from a land that many regard as permanently wet, I am continually shocked by the wastage of water in WA. Despite my Northern European roots, I am well travelled throughout the world and have visited many "dry" lands in my time. Seeing how water is wasted here came as something of a shock. Visit the southern coasts of Spain and gasp in wonder at the barren land turned green by golf courses and parks. Visit Las Vegas, that city in the desert and marvel at a similar scene. This water has to come from somewhere. In Spain's case, it's from the mountainous regions that back the coast. There, rivers run dry & farm land turns to dust as a consequence. In Las Vegas, rivers that were previously torrents, now run dry before they reach the sea.
But because WA is not stealing from Peter to pay Paul, is that any reason to squander this valuable resource?
I'm sure we've all seen the reticulation (irrigation) systems pumping fresh water onto pristine, green lawns......and over paths, and streets and (I spotted last night) even straight down the storm drains. Add to that those that seem intent on ignoring the legislation and watering their gardens on any day of the week, often around 12 noon, which as we all know, is by far the best time to water (or so these people seem to think!).
Is this really the best use of a resource that other parts of the country would be crying out for?
Legislation for water rationing is in its infancy here and currently seems to lack any bite. On the rare occasions that there has been water rationing in the UK (yes, it does happen), people would be prosecuted for abusing the system.
And I'm afraid that's what has to happen here. Unpopular though this will be, the ONLY way that people are going to take the new legislation seriously, is to enforce it and to publicise that enforcement. Which means water patrols, in the same way that Rangers would patrol the streets to keep them safe.
Personally, I try to reduce the usage of water in any garden that I design. But we need plants and those plants need water, so I use plants (including WA natives) that can survive on little water during the dry season.
Water features are a common requirement in a garden design. Nothing is more soothing or cooling, on a hot day, than the sound of running water. Visit the Alhambra Palace in southern Spain, with a climnate very similar to WA, and you will hear the sound of running water almost everywhere you go. But little water is actually on display. Where is it? Well in the handrails of that staircase you just climbed, is one example. It is possible to get the beneficial effects of water without actually using that much.
Consequently, I hope, in the near future, to start manufacturing water features that are specifically designed to keep water loss to a minimum.
And don't forget the swimming pool. Evaporation from pools, of whatever shape or size, can be massive. Personally, I believe that pool covers should be compulsory, in exactly the same way as pool fences are.
And one final word for those that think I shouldn't just blame the gardener. I quite agree. Industry & leisure (both massive consumers of water) need to be similarly policed.
I often wonder why the local golf course needs its sprinklers on in mid afternoon!
Water is a valuable commodity. Please don't waste it !
In effect we have fresh water where there shouldn't be that much. We are on the edge of a huge desert, in a place where it may not rain for months, yet there seems to be no shortage of the stuff. This, as those in the know will tell you, is largely down to the aquifer way beneath the city, which is now being tapped at an extraordinary rate.
A natural resource to be tapped as if it was an oil well, some have said.
But this is no longer an infinite resource. Thanks to massive population growth, that well of plenty is being used up. It cannot and will not last.
Coming from a land that many regard as permanently wet, I am continually shocked by the wastage of water in WA. Despite my Northern European roots, I am well travelled throughout the world and have visited many "dry" lands in my time. Seeing how water is wasted here came as something of a shock. Visit the southern coasts of Spain and gasp in wonder at the barren land turned green by golf courses and parks. Visit Las Vegas, that city in the desert and marvel at a similar scene. This water has to come from somewhere. In Spain's case, it's from the mountainous regions that back the coast. There, rivers run dry & farm land turns to dust as a consequence. In Las Vegas, rivers that were previously torrents, now run dry before they reach the sea.
But because WA is not stealing from Peter to pay Paul, is that any reason to squander this valuable resource?
I'm sure we've all seen the reticulation (irrigation) systems pumping fresh water onto pristine, green lawns......and over paths, and streets and (I spotted last night) even straight down the storm drains. Add to that those that seem intent on ignoring the legislation and watering their gardens on any day of the week, often around 12 noon, which as we all know, is by far the best time to water (or so these people seem to think!).
Is this really the best use of a resource that other parts of the country would be crying out for?
Legislation for water rationing is in its infancy here and currently seems to lack any bite. On the rare occasions that there has been water rationing in the UK (yes, it does happen), people would be prosecuted for abusing the system.
And I'm afraid that's what has to happen here. Unpopular though this will be, the ONLY way that people are going to take the new legislation seriously, is to enforce it and to publicise that enforcement. Which means water patrols, in the same way that Rangers would patrol the streets to keep them safe.
Personally, I try to reduce the usage of water in any garden that I design. But we need plants and those plants need water, so I use plants (including WA natives) that can survive on little water during the dry season.
Water features are a common requirement in a garden design. Nothing is more soothing or cooling, on a hot day, than the sound of running water. Visit the Alhambra Palace in southern Spain, with a climnate very similar to WA, and you will hear the sound of running water almost everywhere you go. But little water is actually on display. Where is it? Well in the handrails of that staircase you just climbed, is one example. It is possible to get the beneficial effects of water without actually using that much.
Consequently, I hope, in the near future, to start manufacturing water features that are specifically designed to keep water loss to a minimum.
And don't forget the swimming pool. Evaporation from pools, of whatever shape or size, can be massive. Personally, I believe that pool covers should be compulsory, in exactly the same way as pool fences are.
And one final word for those that think I shouldn't just blame the gardener. I quite agree. Industry & leisure (both massive consumers of water) need to be similarly policed.
I often wonder why the local golf course needs its sprinklers on in mid afternoon!
Water is a valuable commodity. Please don't waste it !
Saturday, January 16, 2010
So just how much is this garden going to cost to build?
This was always going to be a difficult question to answer.
In the UK it's comparatively easy. There is an annual publication called Spon's. In that you will find a price schedule for most jobs that you are likely to come across in landscaping, e.g. laying turf, laying stone paving, building walls etc etc.
Most contractors will refer to it when costing a job. Some will charge more than the quoted price (if they are in demand and/or very good at what they do), some will charge less (if they need the work). Location is sometimes a factor, but by and large the quotes that you receive will be about 10% either side of what a designer could sit down and work out themselves as the actual cost.
That simply does not happen in WA.
For a start there is no "Spons" to refer to. There is no recognised fee structure here. As I said to my first client, price is as variable as the wind and I couldn't possibly try to guess what a design would cost to build.
The second reason for this is due to the local economy. For those of you who are from further afield than Australia, WA is based on mining. Mining has been booming for the last 10 years on the back of the Chinese expansion. As a consequence, anyone who fancied a life in the outback, in exchange for a pretty healthy wage packet, could "go work in the mines". Tradies - electricians, carpenters, brickies, cooks have all been snapped up by the mining companies. As a consequence, those that are left (not everyone likes the idea of 12 hour days and 2 weeks on 2 weeks off - often living in a prefab) are often either very expensive or not very good.
So, there is a major skills shortage once the mines have mopped up the best.
Some landscapers can pretty much charge what they like, because they have a surfeit of work because the work that they do is of a good quality. Others, I have on good assurance, are simply crap at what they do.
Landscaping, unlike building, is unregulated here. Anyone can do it without any qualifications, licences or experience. And don't think being a member of a trade organisation is any recommendation. It isn't.
This is also true in the UK amongst tradesmen. Some that are not very good, often push to get into a Trade Organisation, hoping that a badge on their adverts and publicity will be taken as a guarantee of quality. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that, but at least you have someone to complain to when things go wrong. Whether or not anything is done about it if you do complain is another matter.
This was confirmed to me when I put my first design out to tender. These quotes were not even for a complete garden, but for about 2/3rds of the build.
The first company didn't even bother submitting a quote. I chased them by mobile, landline and email and I never got a reply!
Company no. 2 quoted $50,000. A little over what I was expecting, which was $40,000.
The last company submitted just under $100,000!
With such a disparity in quotes, what chance has a designer got in costing a design for a client before the design is completed and put out to tender?
As a newcomer, I can't help feeling that the people here are getting ripped off by some tradesman. But then I don't have the mentality of a boom economy where most people have money (in some cases an awful lot of money!) and don't mind so much about the cost of things, because they can afford it.
In the boom period to 2007/8 the quality of some building work was appalling. I have a friend whose house is falling apart around him because the quality of labour and the quality control was so poor due to lack of skilled labour.
So the moral, please don't ask me to guesstimate the cost of a project. I can give you a rough idea but, when contractors charge what they think they can get away with, it really is anybody's guess.
So where do I go from here?
Setting up my own contracting company, I think.
At least that way I can dictate budgets as I design, rather than have them dictated to me after the design is completed!!
In the UK it's comparatively easy. There is an annual publication called Spon's. In that you will find a price schedule for most jobs that you are likely to come across in landscaping, e.g. laying turf, laying stone paving, building walls etc etc.
Most contractors will refer to it when costing a job. Some will charge more than the quoted price (if they are in demand and/or very good at what they do), some will charge less (if they need the work). Location is sometimes a factor, but by and large the quotes that you receive will be about 10% either side of what a designer could sit down and work out themselves as the actual cost.
That simply does not happen in WA.
For a start there is no "Spons" to refer to. There is no recognised fee structure here. As I said to my first client, price is as variable as the wind and I couldn't possibly try to guess what a design would cost to build.
The second reason for this is due to the local economy. For those of you who are from further afield than Australia, WA is based on mining. Mining has been booming for the last 10 years on the back of the Chinese expansion. As a consequence, anyone who fancied a life in the outback, in exchange for a pretty healthy wage packet, could "go work in the mines". Tradies - electricians, carpenters, brickies, cooks have all been snapped up by the mining companies. As a consequence, those that are left (not everyone likes the idea of 12 hour days and 2 weeks on 2 weeks off - often living in a prefab) are often either very expensive or not very good.
So, there is a major skills shortage once the mines have mopped up the best.
Some landscapers can pretty much charge what they like, because they have a surfeit of work because the work that they do is of a good quality. Others, I have on good assurance, are simply crap at what they do.
Landscaping, unlike building, is unregulated here. Anyone can do it without any qualifications, licences or experience. And don't think being a member of a trade organisation is any recommendation. It isn't.
This is also true in the UK amongst tradesmen. Some that are not very good, often push to get into a Trade Organisation, hoping that a badge on their adverts and publicity will be taken as a guarantee of quality. Unfortunately it doesn't always work like that, but at least you have someone to complain to when things go wrong. Whether or not anything is done about it if you do complain is another matter.
This was confirmed to me when I put my first design out to tender. These quotes were not even for a complete garden, but for about 2/3rds of the build.
The first company didn't even bother submitting a quote. I chased them by mobile, landline and email and I never got a reply!
Company no. 2 quoted $50,000. A little over what I was expecting, which was $40,000.
The last company submitted just under $100,000!
With such a disparity in quotes, what chance has a designer got in costing a design for a client before the design is completed and put out to tender?
As a newcomer, I can't help feeling that the people here are getting ripped off by some tradesman. But then I don't have the mentality of a boom economy where most people have money (in some cases an awful lot of money!) and don't mind so much about the cost of things, because they can afford it.
In the boom period to 2007/8 the quality of some building work was appalling. I have a friend whose house is falling apart around him because the quality of labour and the quality control was so poor due to lack of skilled labour.
So the moral, please don't ask me to guesstimate the cost of a project. I can give you a rough idea but, when contractors charge what they think they can get away with, it really is anybody's guess.
So where do I go from here?
Setting up my own contracting company, I think.
At least that way I can dictate budgets as I design, rather than have them dictated to me after the design is completed!!
So many new things to learn.....
Having trained and traded in the UK in Garden Design, I arrived in Perth in 2008.
Anyone who has moved long distances, let alone emigrated, will appreciate the turmoil that such a move can cause. It took me months to sort out accommodation, transport as well as all the technicalities of starting your own business....website, business cards, DL flyers, newspaper ads, tax number, business registration etc etc.
April 09 - I was pretty much ready to trade...ready for my first customer and just in time for Garden Week 09 in Perth, which is about as near as WA will get to the Chelsea Flower show....although it has more of a summer fete atmosphere really.
Garden Week provided some good publicity thru the newly formed WALDA (Landsacpe Design Assoc) stand. Members had also been given free stands in order to build show gardens. Almost the first time that this had happened. Unfortunately, I was too late to participate in the show gardens.
I had a couple of leads for design work from GW 09, but neither came to anything.
May - I was asked by a local Health Centre to design a planting plan as part of a planning application with the local council. It had to done by a qualified landscape designer or architect. I submitted a quote. I made it low coz I needed the money !
It went to someone else...who I later learnt had no design qualifications at all. This, I guess, could actually void any planning application made using plans by an unqualified person. I note that, 8 months on, nothing has been done to this garden.
First lesson - not everyone who calls themselves a garden or landscape designer has any design qualifications whatsoever. Some having qualifications and/or experience in horticulture. Some are contractors who SAY that they can design. Most of these people really don't have a clue about design. Very frustrating.
Rule 1 - Make sure your designer is qualified to do what he/she says they can do.
May to September - Many outdoor trades seem to go into hibernation at this time of year. I know one guy who goes on holiday every July and August, because nothing happens here. Consequently, despite having a website up and running and forking out hundreds of $s for advertising, I didn't have one enquiry! I was really beginning to despair by mid August. Money spent and nothing earned.
I volunteered to renovate a relative's garden. I really enjoyed it too. At that time of year the weather is just right and even when it rains it's usually only a brief shower. I even considered doing the job part time, when the design work wasn't happening. And garden renovation could easily lead to garden design work.
Only, I've now paid the price of doing long term manual work when I'm not used to it. One bad back and one wrecked shoulder and forking out $s to a physio to try to put it right. I'm still in pain 3 months after finishing the job, so bang goes THAT idea !!
September - I had 3 enquiries in a week! One has lead to a full design job, one is on hold until 2010 and one went nowhere !
Since then I have had a number of jobs, some in the more prestigious areas of Central Perth. None have been built yet. Many clients seem to want to do their own thing when it comes to building. Which is fine. They have paid for a detailed outline plan, a planting plan and plant list and, where appropriate, construction diagrams. They are free to do whatever they want with them...though I still hope to see the finished projects someday!
My first design project is due to be built in Feb 2010 and should be finished by Easter. It'll be the first completed project to go on my website.
Things I had to learn -
1. It's usually landscape design rather than garden design.
2. Due to WA quarantine laws, there is not the choice of plants available here that you could expect elsewhere in the world. Besides, not many plants could survive here anyway. 'Exotics' are mainly the standard "Mediterranean" plants such as strelitzia, plumbago, oleander, geraniums etc.
3. 'Hardy' does not necessarily mean frost hardy. It can mean wind and salt tolerant, to name but two.
4. The climate varies between long, hot dry summers and cool, VERY wet winters. When it rains here in the winter, it is positively monsoonal ! ....although I often have breakfast outside, even mid-winter (yes, I mean when it's not raining!). No frost at all along the coast and only a few days of frost inland...sometimes only 10 miles inland...and also up on the scarp. Salt laden winds near the coast in winter.
5. Non-Australian Natives are called 'exotics'.
6. WA has more plants native to that state than all the rest put together...so man is there alot of new flora to learn! I'm building my own database of WA Natives a...as well as all other plants available here.
7. Perth has 5 main soil types. Most of the soil here is limestone sand. It is highly alkaline. It has no nutrients and no water retaining qualities. It often forms a skin and water just runs off the surface. Go up onto the scarp and it's solid granite with very little top soil. You might as well be gardening on the moon !
8. The predominant building material here is limestone. Limestone bricks, limestone blocks, limestone paving, poured limestone (mixed crushed limestone and concrete). It's everywhere! And boy can it be bright when the sun comes out (which is most of the time). But it's one good quality, when it comes to paving, is that it doesn't get as hot as other materials.
Anyone who has moved long distances, let alone emigrated, will appreciate the turmoil that such a move can cause. It took me months to sort out accommodation, transport as well as all the technicalities of starting your own business....website, business cards, DL flyers, newspaper ads, tax number, business registration etc etc.
April 09 - I was pretty much ready to trade...ready for my first customer and just in time for Garden Week 09 in Perth, which is about as near as WA will get to the Chelsea Flower show....although it has more of a summer fete atmosphere really.
Garden Week provided some good publicity thru the newly formed WALDA (Landsacpe Design Assoc) stand. Members had also been given free stands in order to build show gardens. Almost the first time that this had happened. Unfortunately, I was too late to participate in the show gardens.
I had a couple of leads for design work from GW 09, but neither came to anything.
May - I was asked by a local Health Centre to design a planting plan as part of a planning application with the local council. It had to done by a qualified landscape designer or architect. I submitted a quote. I made it low coz I needed the money !
It went to someone else...who I later learnt had no design qualifications at all. This, I guess, could actually void any planning application made using plans by an unqualified person. I note that, 8 months on, nothing has been done to this garden.
First lesson - not everyone who calls themselves a garden or landscape designer has any design qualifications whatsoever. Some having qualifications and/or experience in horticulture. Some are contractors who SAY that they can design. Most of these people really don't have a clue about design. Very frustrating.
Rule 1 - Make sure your designer is qualified to do what he/she says they can do.
May to September - Many outdoor trades seem to go into hibernation at this time of year. I know one guy who goes on holiday every July and August, because nothing happens here. Consequently, despite having a website up and running and forking out hundreds of $s for advertising, I didn't have one enquiry! I was really beginning to despair by mid August. Money spent and nothing earned.
I volunteered to renovate a relative's garden. I really enjoyed it too. At that time of year the weather is just right and even when it rains it's usually only a brief shower. I even considered doing the job part time, when the design work wasn't happening. And garden renovation could easily lead to garden design work.
Only, I've now paid the price of doing long term manual work when I'm not used to it. One bad back and one wrecked shoulder and forking out $s to a physio to try to put it right. I'm still in pain 3 months after finishing the job, so bang goes THAT idea !!
September - I had 3 enquiries in a week! One has lead to a full design job, one is on hold until 2010 and one went nowhere !
Since then I have had a number of jobs, some in the more prestigious areas of Central Perth. None have been built yet. Many clients seem to want to do their own thing when it comes to building. Which is fine. They have paid for a detailed outline plan, a planting plan and plant list and, where appropriate, construction diagrams. They are free to do whatever they want with them...though I still hope to see the finished projects someday!
My first design project is due to be built in Feb 2010 and should be finished by Easter. It'll be the first completed project to go on my website.
Things I had to learn -
1. It's usually landscape design rather than garden design.
2. Due to WA quarantine laws, there is not the choice of plants available here that you could expect elsewhere in the world. Besides, not many plants could survive here anyway. 'Exotics' are mainly the standard "Mediterranean" plants such as strelitzia, plumbago, oleander, geraniums etc.
3. 'Hardy' does not necessarily mean frost hardy. It can mean wind and salt tolerant, to name but two.
4. The climate varies between long, hot dry summers and cool, VERY wet winters. When it rains here in the winter, it is positively monsoonal ! ....although I often have breakfast outside, even mid-winter (yes, I mean when it's not raining!). No frost at all along the coast and only a few days of frost inland...sometimes only 10 miles inland...and also up on the scarp. Salt laden winds near the coast in winter.
5. Non-Australian Natives are called 'exotics'.
6. WA has more plants native to that state than all the rest put together...so man is there alot of new flora to learn! I'm building my own database of WA Natives a...as well as all other plants available here.
7. Perth has 5 main soil types. Most of the soil here is limestone sand. It is highly alkaline. It has no nutrients and no water retaining qualities. It often forms a skin and water just runs off the surface. Go up onto the scarp and it's solid granite with very little top soil. You might as well be gardening on the moon !
8. The predominant building material here is limestone. Limestone bricks, limestone blocks, limestone paving, poured limestone (mixed crushed limestone and concrete). It's everywhere! And boy can it be bright when the sun comes out (which is most of the time). But it's one good quality, when it comes to paving, is that it doesn't get as hot as other materials.
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