Sean Swallow Garden Design

Garden Style

It should perhaps be easy to define what makes a pleasurable garden, but we all seem to long for different things from our gardens. The gardens I make are about gently ordered natural beauty, conceived to give a sense of tranquility (and the occasional surprise) and form a vital link between the property and the landscape.

My work typically possesses a sense of geometry, light and sculptural form. The empty spaces are defined by clipped hedges, well-placed trees, simple shapes and perfect lawns. Layers of colour and texture are employed in generously proportioned herbaceous borders, continuous drifts of flowering bulbs and flowing lines of longer meadow grass. I enjoy using natural materials, such as stone and timber, but plants take the leading role, and hard landscaping is finely detailed and unobtrusive.

I would hope that the garden I design for you may enhance your life, bringing you enduring delight and a sense of wholeness.

Design Approach

Successful gardens tell a story. One way of accessing the narrative in garden-making is through the simple appreciation of ‘appropriateness’. When I am preparing plans I ask myself such questions as:
“Is the plant appropriate to the conditions? Is the idea appropriate for the client or the architecture? Is it appropriate that the surrounding landscape defines the garden or should an idea be imposed on the landscape? In this part of the garden, is the appropriate mood, say, one of the serenity or fun? Is tentative poetic intuition the key to unlocking the garden’s story or are bold, decisive strokes needed instead?”

I am reluctant to make or follow strict rules for garden design, but I do dislike gimmickry and pastiche. I take my inspiration from a broad range of sources, but I chiefly value a strong sense of English style (sometimes with an added twist) and I would mention William Kent, Harold Peto and Russell Page as amongst my role models from the history of garden design.