A specialist in designing little space , Isabelle Palmer , perhaps better known as ‘ The Balcony Gardener ’ , has been designing city gardens around London since 2009 .
Having write three books on balcony gardening and with several appearances on television shows like Love Your Garden , Isabelle has base herself as one of the UK ’s leading designers .
I spoke to Isabelle about her career and her dream for the future .
How Did You First Get Into Gardening?
“ I used to have an flat with two very modest balconies and I want to make a plushy , green , verdant space of my own , ” shares Isabelle .
“ I wanted somewhere I could enjoy and sit alfresco border by plants . I wanted to make a garden of my own , albeit fabulously small .
“ I start looking for Cartesian product that would aid me with small-scale space horticulture ( have little anterior gardening knowledge ) and that would fit in with my modernistic esthetic inside my home . I want the balcony to be an extension of my indoor space , but I could n’t really happen anything in that field .
Image byJacqui Melville
“ This kickstarted it all for me , as I could n’t find stylish product at a sane Mary Leontyne Price point . I started up an online business enterprise that sold readymade window boxes and mini garden along with pots , article of furniture and accessories for small blank space deliver straight to your doorway .
“ My shop was my initial entryway into horticulture and it just kind of developed from that . I then wrote some al-Qur’an and discovered that mass really want a sort of bespoke element to thing .
“ It ’s fundamentally about trying to transform a small space into everything you would experience in a real garden adding a little bit of ‘ wow ’ constituent . I love designing modest spaces because you’re able to produce an insistent garden in a inadequate space of time quick to enjoy – I ’m really impatient , so having to wait for year for a garden to mature can be frustrating !
Image byJacqui Melville
“ What could be better than creating a marvelous small garden in just a day ? ”
What Is Your Process For Designing?
“ For me , color and textures are a real start point for a container to a larger space , ” she says .
“ What type of jet , what palette I desire and the colour look are all very crucial share of my design process . Colour is really authoritative because it is what give the garden its symmetrical atmosphere and vibrancy .
“ From that , I progress to the types of works that will outfit in the aspect the space face , such as if it ’s sunny or shaded . ”
Do You Have Any Golden Rules For Designing Gardens?
“ My stress is on container , ” says Isabelle .
“ you’re able to inaugurate smaller plants and leave them to mature , but putting larger , more mature industrial plant , from the start creates a better display from the origin . That gives you a sense of a roaring lush embodiment you would see in larger gardens and creates that haven .
“ I put more plants in the pot than you would do in the ground .
“ I also really prioritize watering in any container garden . It does n’t matter if it ’s not a raging cheery twenty-four hours in the summertime , you really need to irrigate potted plant .
“ Do n’t rate your plant life under a canopy , permit them access rain when it does decrease . Use the component of rain to help you . ”
What Are Some Of Your Career Highlights?
“ It ’s been 12 years so I have get many exciting and fulfilling task along the way ! I was clearing out my office the other day and I establish all of these forgotten computer address that I had completely forgotten about .
“ In 2013 , I undertook quite a few projects for the Chelsea fringe along with the front window display for Anthropologie , which always transform into something around the festival . I really enjoyed that procedure because it was nearer to the head start of my career when I had no expectations .
“ There are so many other thing , though . My job change constantly and evolves , so the chance that have give me are far greater than the prospect I had for this career . I do n’t retrieve anyone expected me to write three books ! That ’s another definite highlight . ”
Has Gardening Shaped Your Outlook On Life In Any Way?
“ Oh yeah , ” she express joy .
“ Gardening is like nutrient for the soul . I ’m never well-chosen than when I ’m in the garden or creating a new display . It ’s a type of speculation for me , as I really zone out of everything going on in my life .
“ Especially in today ’s hectic reality , as I enter into the garden , it all live away . ”
What’s Next For You?
“ In September , I ’m blend to study at Kew for a yr , ” partake Isabelle . “ I ’ve decided to extend my botanic and horticultural noesis with the welfare of having some prison term now my daughter is sometime .
“ After that , I will be come back to carry on with what I do . I opine thrive my cognition will help me to take the balcony garden to the next level .
“ I never hump what ’s in front of me , which is exciting . ”
What Would You Say To Those Wanting To Try Garden Design?
“ I would n’t have ever thought about doing gardening when I was younger , but I think it ’s a cooler career to go into now as there is a younger generation involved .
“ There are so many unlike aspects of gardening now . Garden design is an amazing life history to grow in and it plays a really important role in citizenry ’s lives .
“ If you ’re outside and enjoy the quad too , it ’s a real bonus . You also get to be really creative . So , 100 % go for it . ”
