About

A little bit more about me;

 

I have always had a love for the traditions of Japanese gardens. The way they have so much philosophy and meaning behind their form has always appealed to me, perhaps because of my family’s Japanese roots.

 

Indeed, my first ever garden was in the Japanese style. It came about when my father was walking through our garden at our house in the south of England. We had lived there as a family for several years but none of us had green fingers, so it was thick with bracken and briar from years of neglect. Suddenly, he stumbled head-first into what he discovered was a pond hidden under the undergrowth, much to the shock of both him and the poor goldfish that had been living there quite happily in isolation for all those years!

 

This was the summer before I went to university to read Economics, another passion of mine, so I thought I would take the time to re-develop the area. Once cleared I could see its great potential to make a Japanese theme to the space given its running water, mature acers and peaceful setting, much to the delight of my Japanese Mum and injured Dad. So, I set about reading up on the style and got to work.

 

What followed was the most pleasant summer. No longer in front of books or a screen I revelled in the outdoors and developed a true love for gardening and the creative process. In fact, I would say that I am never happier than when the sun is shining, cricket is on the radio and I am pottering around with some plants.

 

I continued to garden through university for extra pocket money, and when I graduated with a 1st class degree with honours I recall facing the dilemma of which path to take my life in; Continue with an internship with Lehman Brothers or pursue my love of gardens. Well, it didn’t take me long to enrol at a horticultural school and I have not looked back since!

 

In Japanese gardens the flow of space represents the passage of life, and the smallest stone is considered to have meaning. It is befitting then that my own journey with gardens should have started there, and with such a seemingly insignificant action on the part of my father.

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My firm has just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and in this time my colleagues and I have worked across the world on some wonderful projects.

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When it comes to the project from which I am most proud, that remains my first, 10 years ago. As a young man I was entrusted to design and build a for a school for children with Autism and Asperger’s syndrome, conditions that I knew little about at the time. Called the “Life Skills Centre” this developed into a space that they could familiarise themselves with core understandings of the world around them, and watching the children’s happiness as they interacted with the space filled me with so much joy that I shall never forget it.

 

I have learned a lot on my travels but discovering on that day how core to one’s self nature is has been most valuable lesson so far.