My name is Graham Wright, and I’m a fully qualified garden designer [1.] This website sets out the design services I provide, and shows examples of my work. It is also the home of my blog, where I post about design, as well as gardening in general, and show the development of my own garden.
My Design Ethos
As a designer, my emphasis is on plants, rather than an excess of hard-landscaping, but the clients’ preferences always take precedence, and I will design in any style, from cottage garden, to prairie, to modernist. For examples of my work, take a look at my portfolio pages. I can design anything from a planting plan for a single border, to a full design for a large garden. Ten years experience as a professional gardener has given me a wealth of knowledge of plants and how to care for them, and an understanding of the maintenance that will be required once a design has been realised.
I aim to make my designs as sustainable as possible. Where appropriate, pristine lawns can be replaced with wildflower meadow that doesn’t demand applications of chemicals, and can be cut less frequently (saving on maintenance, and reducing energy usage). Plants can be chosen to provide habitat and food to bring in wildlife, adding another dimension; bringing the garden to life. These are choices that will not compromise the beauty and practicality of the design.
I work to bring into my designs all the benefits that the plant world has to offer; to stimulate all of the senses, using form and texture, colour from foliage as well as from flowers, scent from foliage and flowers, plants that move in the breeze; and plants that are tactile. Gardens need not go to sleep in winter; it’s possible to ensure they have interest (including flowers) all year round.
I’m based in North Shropshire, but will take on design jobs further afield, so if you like my style, but live elsewhere, call me for a chat – I may well be persuaded to travel.
The ‘Pulling Weeds’ domain name comes from my time as a jobbing gardener (which I’m stilling doing some of the time) when, besides pruning, cutting grass, trimming hedges, and even doing some planting, I seemed to spend an awful lot of time on my hands and knees digging out weeds.