Our Pledge for 2024

A garden is such a hopeful place; it allows us to experience the slow changing of the seasons and to bear witness to the beauty in creation. As garden designers, we simply curate what already exists. Perhaps we sometimes tinker with the raw ingredients - but ultimately we have a banquet table laid before us of incredible, delicate and breathtaking elements - from which we piece together a unique collection for each garden that we work on.

You may already know, that Laura and I have a deep faith - believing that we have been created in order to create. It’s in our nature and is something that we cannot stifle. You may notice our (current) favourite words feature on our instagram profile:

“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

To some this might seem strange - but if you’ve worked with plants for long enough, I think the meaning of this statement becomes more and more significant (!). We consider it pure joy to work in the realms of creation. We find such freedom and excitement when working with these resilient yet delicate, powerful yet fragile objects.

When thinking about the privilege it is to create gardens for a living - we are stirred to think about what more we should be doing in our industry not only to protect and preserve for future generations - but also to share our resources with others… now.

For 2024, we have made a simple pledge:

For each garden that we create this year - we are going to give the small gift of seeds and tools to those who are not in our position of privilege. It’s a small, and some would argue insignificant gesture. However, by doing something, we hope that ‘more is more’. This is just a first baby step towards better.

We really like the work of ChristianAid, who have set up their Climate Resilient Agriculture Fund in order to support people in some of the world’s poorest communities. Donations mean that people can grow fresh food to feed themselves and their families. They offer a great range of gifts if ever you feel inspired to give in this way (or you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for someone). Why not take a look by clicking on the link above.

Christian Aid is a Registered Charity (no.1105851)