Why Do I Design Gardens?
Stone & Flora was born from years of my adult life working in hard landscaping and years of my childhood spent with my grandfather at his nursery just outside Edinburgh.
I remember vividly, spending time curiously wandering up and down the rows of planting in the many greenhouses and large potting sheds, watching him tend to the plants and try to impart some knowledge to me.
There was something incredibly comforting about the smell of the soil, compost and flowers. Not to mention being able to sit in his chair in his office or better yet in the tractor.
Even today, I can’t go to a nursery without thinking about my grandfather and his love of flowers.
I also cannot deny the influence my father has had on my career overall.
He worked in civil engineering for the best part of 50 years and was involved in countless major projects both in the UK and South Africa.
As a teenager I would be mesmerised by the plans he would bring home to work on at the dining table and would study the drawings and steel schedules.
I think designing gardens allows me to combine both of these influences into a role that is hugely fulfilling.
Why Should You Trust Me With Your Garden?
Within my working life I have been involved in the construction sector for over 25 years in a variety of roles including having my own contracting company, working for manufacturers and merchants.
Most recently, for sixteen years I have worked for a national paving manufacturer, with the last 11 of those years in a role which required me to carry out inspections of patios and driveways to ensure required standards are being met along with carrying out investigations when things go wrong in order to determine the root cause.
In addition to all of this I have been privileged to be involved in a number of other activities including being a judge for landscaping awards as well as an expert witness for court.
Having worked with multiple award-winning landscape contractors up and down the country over the years I had initially started offering design services and advice to them. Based on the success of this I decided to progress further to offering my services to homeowners who are looking to elevate their outdoor spaces.
With a history of nurseries and garden centres in my family (grandfather and great uncle) I think it was only natural I developed an interest in ‘soft landscaping’ to compliment my knowledge and experience in ‘hard landscaping’.
With a passion for self-development, I have always enjoyed undertaking training and qualifications to expand my understanding of areas I’m passionate about to which you can see below the ones pertaining to landscaping.
Training Undertaken With:
Qualifications Attained:
