planting design

Urban street trees in arid climates

First published in Landscape Middle East magazine, September 2024 (with different title). If there is one thing that makes being outdoors bearable in an urban arid environment, it is trees.  It can be up to 20°C cooler in the direct shade of a tree, whilst a street with trees planted along it will be several

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Gravel Gardening

Gravel gardens have been around a long time yet with a few well-known exceptions (Denmans, Beth Chatto and more recently, Olivier Filippi), never really make it into the mainstream of garden design. I suspect that for some designers, there is insufficient structure to satisfy, yet that is actually one of the main benefits. This makes

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Planting Design in the Middle-East

The other side of work I undertake in the Middle-East region (other than tree consultancy) is planting design, for creating new landscapes always brings me a special joy.  When they are in public spaces, I love the chance it gives to interact (albeit remotely) with many people in place, over time and hopefully, enhance their

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