In the 18th century an aristocratic taste for romantic decay led landscape designers to place dead trees in their clients’ estates. Brede-based garden designer Kristina Clode is all for reusing available materials, but for more ecologically-grounded reasons.
“I have a design ethic based on sustainability,” she explained to a meeting of the recently-formed Fuse group at St Mary’s Centre in Rye on Tuesday February 11. “I create gardens around respect for soil types, appropriate plants, zero pesticides, minimal irrigation and recycled materials where possible. Oh, and I really love plants.”
A member of the Society of Garden Designers and the winner of multiple awards for her work, it was this love of horticulture that led her away from an early career in fashion. At the meeting she presented what’s involved in a typical garden design project, covering the various stages of creating a brief, design and implementation, before presenting an array of examples of her work, in locations ranging from the climatically hostile environs of Camber Sands to a mixture of formal and informal designs for a Georgian farmhouse in Kent. She concluded with a glimpse of her work in progress on the restoration and further development of an iris garden for Nunnington Hall, a National Trust stately home in Yorkshire.
Kristina’s studio offers a comprehensive, client-led garden design consultancy, including landscape design, garden styling, construction monitoring and planting. Kristina is passionate about producing sustainable, regenerative and wildlife friendly designs. She believes that a garden should not only be enchanting and inspiring but brimming with life. With her flair for design, horticultural experience and knowledge of garden history Kristina is able to create beautiful gardens with a timeless quality, which harmonise with their surroundings and look as if they have always been there.
As a creative practitioner in the area, Kristina has been involved with Fuse from its early stages. Fuse aims to bring together people from a wide spectrum of creative disciplines in East Sussex and Kent, to exchange ideas and develop collaborative projects. Its members include designers, artists, writers and musicians. The intention is to hold regular social meetings as well as talks from members and others about their work and related topics. Kristina’s was the second talk this year, with more in the pipeline. You can find out more about her work here.
https://www.kristinaclodegardendesign.co.uk
Kristina’s garden at 4 Waterworks Cottages in Brede, is open for the National Garden Scheme on Saturday, June 7 10:30am – 4pm, £6 combined entry, children free.
Also open for NGS is another garden designed by Kristina: Chapel Farmhouse, Tilmanstone, near Deal on Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13 noon – 6pm, £5 adult entry, children free.
More information at https://ngs.org.uk/
Image Credits: John Cowell .