Garden Design School's Guest Speakers

Martin Kelley

Specialist Subject: Water Garden Design & Construction

 Martin Kelley has been involved in the design and creation of garden water features all his working life. He trained under Anthony Archer-Wills for over 10 years and then started his own company, Fairwater Ltd, in 1993.

Widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading water garden experts, he acts as technical consultant, designer and contractor for many leading garden designers and landscape architects. For Martin, water has a unique, magical quality which works well in almost any garden, large or small. He’s designed and built everything from a single, bubbling stone to a project featuring a seven-hectare lake, fountains, waterfalls, streams, water sculptures and natural swimming pools!

More information: www.fairwater.co.uk

Richard Key FSGD

Specialist Subject (1):
Setting Up & Running A Garden Design Business
Specialist Subject (2):
Marketing & Promotion

  Writer, broadcaster and award-winning garden designer Richard Key has worked in the landscape and garden design industries for over 30 years and is an experienced and respected lecturer at some of the UK's leading garden design colleges. He is also a Fellow and former Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Society of Garden Designers (SGD). Richard is eminently qualified to lecture on his chosen subjects: he set up his own, successful garden design practice fifteen years ago and is also co-director of a thriving garden maintenance company, Key Gardencare. He is fairly uncompromising about what it really takes to set up, run and promote a profitable business: “I have pretty clear and strong views, leaving students with no illusions about the realities of being a professional garden designer in this harsh financial climate. And no matter how well you design, it’s marketing that puts your name out there and selling your skills and services effectively that wins you the job.”

More information: www.richardkey.co.uk

Tony Lane

Specialist Subject: Arboriculture (Trees)

Garden designers need to understand how to choose new trees and the implications of integrating existing ones into their designs in an imaginative but responsible, sustainable way. Garden Design School’s guest lecturer, Tony Lane, is a highly respected expert on this subject. A chartered forester and professional member of the Arboricultural Association, he is the director and senior consultant of a general practice, A M Lane Ltd.

In the lecture which Tony delivers as part of our garden design Diploma course, Tony uses case histories and lively anecdotes to explain the most important do's and don'ts concerning tree selection, location, growth, maintenance and safety. He examines the importance of conserving our existing tree stock and being aware of legal issues in the form of Tree Preservation Orders (TPO's), Conservation Areas and Planning Conditions. He also looks at the planning considerations and the implications of the recently revised BS5837 : 2005 (Trees in relation to construction - Recommendations)

More information: www.amlane.co.uk

Michael Shackleton

Specialist Subject: Garden Lighting

Having spent over 30 years working in the film industry - much of it as a lighting cameraman - there isn't much you can teach Michael Shackleton about the impact and effect of lighting on mood and atmosphere. He has since used this experience to create one of the UK's most successful garden lighting businesses, Ornamental Garden Lighting. Mike regularly works with landscape and garden designers and emphasises the need to build a rapport: "the key to lighting a garden is working very closely with the designer to complement and enhance their vision so that the client can enjoy their garden at night as much as they do during the day”. Mike’s Garden Design School lecture examines all of the potential benefits of garden lighting, the social and environmental impact, costs, the practicalities of installation and some of the most common pitfalls and problems.

More information: www.ornamentalgardenlighting.com

Nicholas Wray MHort (RHS) F.I.Hort

Specialist Subject: Plant Naming and Horticultural Practise

Nicholas Wray is Curator of the University of Bristol Botanic Garden. He has worked in the Botanic Garden and University environment for 25 years, one of his key roles being to manage and develop the Garden’s educational programme. He has lectured on a wide range of horticultural subjects for many years and has travelled extensively, studying plants in the wild. In 1998 he was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture.

We are pleased to be able feature Nicholas’s lectures on plant naming and taxonomy and soil science and basic botany within our flagship garden design course (the Diploma). His sessions give students an understanding of why and how to write plant names properly (Nicholas believes: “If you want to make a professional presentation, writing plant names correctly on plans and planting lists is crucial, not least because of the commercial implications”) and a fundamental understanding of how and what plants need to grow successful:  “correct plant selection and appropriate maintenance are critical to every successful garden design” he says.

Lucinda Burgess

Specialist Subject: Planting Design

Garden Design School’s newest member of the garden design course team is Lucinda Burgess, whose speciality is planting design. Some of Lucinda’s exceptional designs have won gold medals at Chelsea and Hampton Court. Her design for the Floral Colour Spectrum at Kew Gardens won an APL award.