Blog

Hi All


It has been absolutely glorious sunshine these last few days just in time to lift our spirits. 

It's April and it may feel as though we have awoken the kraken rather than spring but I am ever hopeful.

 We have a great opportunity to reconnect with our home life and our own garden or outdoor space (or even that precious window sill). Those jobs, hobbies or skills that we haven't had the chance to do, now come to the fore.

Phillip Johnson Masterclass

We have decided to move Phillip Johnson's Masterclass scheduled for October 2020 to next year. This is to give us all certainty especially to Phillip with international, long-haul travel. Please do keep the date though, as if possible, I will do my utmost to put a little something together for us all: Saturday, 10 October 2020.



Those of you who have very kindly booked on Phillip's course would have received an automatic refund in the last week or so. It has been great to have had such a wonderful response to this course.  Thank you.

Support

Should you, or anyone you know in our industry, be in need of support, please let them know that Perennial - The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society - are there to help. Their confidential freephone helpline is:  0800 093 8543 or contact via their website:  www.perennial.org.uk

Online Training

There are lots of free online training available at the moment eg. The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) are offering training via webinars and Zoom calls. You can email the very helpful Phil Tremayne on:  phil.tremayne@hta.org.uk for details or join the private Facebook group The Association of Professional Landscapers Cluster Group Info for listings. You do not have to be a member of the APL to join in.

We can do this! 


Photo by Sebastian Staines on Unsplash

It is a fantastic time to appreciate all that we have.  It really isn't about the grass being greener elsewhere. Stand tall for we are made of stern stuff and we are here to help each other.  We can do this!

Thank you for being part of such a brilliantly wonderful supportive community. Take time to enjoy the gorgeous spring blossom and emerging foliage. 


Best wishes

Gillian

Gillian Goodson Designs

The Day I met Sir David Attenborough

Inspiration can be found anywhere, from all corners of our lives, and for me, much of it comes from the natural world.

Unsurprisingly, and like many, I am a lifelong admirer of the work of Sir David Attenborough. His passion for the natural world, the flora and fauna, and his activism in protecting its beauty.

So imagine my joy (understatement!) when it was announced that the guest of honour for the Landscape Institute Awards 2019, would be Sir David Attenborough. I wanted to run up and down the streets and broadcast it to all and sundry.

I was fortunate to be invited to the Awards by the LI’s current President, Adam White, whom I’ve come to consider a friend having met him through industry events. I had accepted the invitation before it was announced who the special guest would be. On hearing the news, I joked with friends about dressing as a penguin or practising my bread roll throwing skills, in the hope of maybe, just maybe, being spotted by this childhood idol of mine. It is rare that a childhood idol becomes one’s adult idol. Rare he is. I hope he realises just how special he is and to so many of us. I was just honoured to be in the same room as this mighty man.

A moment of sheer amazement, a ‘pinch me out of body experience’ when I was introduced and invited to chat with Sir David. Somehow I saw myself shaking his hand. It was a moment of sheer overload; my system could not compute. A huge adrenaline rush mixed with an overwhelming fear of not measuring up... to both of us not measuring up. He, because they say you should never meet your idol. Me, well, that’s easy… little me… how does one converse with such a being? I felt like a fraud. He, a demigod. A national, international treasure. I remember being introduced by Adam, who seemed to know my CV better than I did. I drew a blank. I managed to get the words ‘honoured’ out. Then Sir David smiled. That warmth. That charming, disarming manner that he has. Add ‘humbled’ to the word honoured. I somehow found myself being able to string words together and they somehow made sentences. We discussed the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Forest and other places in North East Queensland, Australia. A part of the world very close to my heart. It turns out they are to Sir David as well. I was at first thrown when Sir David commented on the style of the dress I was wearing,,, without saying too much, we talked fashion! The rest of the conversation and the memories of that twinkle in his eyes, the shared laughter, and embarrassment on my part will remain treasured memories… part of a private conversation among those present. A priceless moment in my life. A special thank you to those who took a photo of us all as I would not have dared.

I watched and listened as he delivered his speech - it was hard not to be moved - not through the television or recording but there in front of me. He spoke of the climate crisis and biodiversity. His speech was met with a standing ovation. He being on the stage is in itself a standing ovation. We salute you Sir David. Thank you for being you.

Here’s to you Sir David. Here’s to every single one of us learning from your lessons and experiences. Here’s to reducing waste. Here’s to us looking after the most important resource we have.

My gratitude.

Planting in a Post-Wild World with Thomas Rainer: The Roots and All Podcast hosted by Sarah Wilson

Ahead of the Masterclass With Thomas Rainer, 'Planting In A Post-Wild World': 18 January 2020, Sarah Wilson of Roots and All spoke with Thomas Rainer.

This episode features Thomas Rainer, Principal Designer at Phyto Studio in Virginia and co-author of the book Planting In A Post-Wild World. Thomas’s approach to design pays particular attention to establishing new plant communities, especially within urban and suburban environments, where the native flora and fauna has effectively been pushed out. Concentrating on plant selections that work alongside each other and also with the site, Thomas introduces green spaces that please the eye, work from a maintenance perspective and can evolve successfully over time.

Read more and listen here, or download from iTunes or download for Android.