The Secret Magic of Gardens
By Leonie Cornelius – ‘Supergarden’ Mentor
I love gardens; big gardens, small gardens, box-hedge formal to meadow wild. Nature’s rooms are spaces that have a profound impact on our spiritual and emotional wellbeing. As a garden designer and interior architect, I’m fascinated by how the designed garden space is really an extension of our interior lives and ultimately ourselves.
Have you ever walked into a garden and felt yourself sigh in delight? Some gardens have that magical quality and yet are simply a few trees and shrubs, whilst others, designed to the millimeter, don’t have the same effect. It’s something that garden designer Dan Pearson calls ‘Spirit’ and it relies on many factors that come together like a puzzle.
Sometimes it’s almost impossible to define what it actually comes down to. Sympathetically designed gardens aim to take into account the existing site along with the interior of the house and the lives of the people who spend time there. Good garden design should aim to create something more than just a pretty garden. It should ground us yet allow us to dream. It should let us own the space and make it ours without forgetting that we are part of a far greater wild and wonderful picture. It should become a space where lives unfold, a space for contemplation and a space for laughter. Ultimately, its unique and personalised spirit should bring harmony and make our lives more beautiful. Our garden is us, perfectly imperfect, ever changing and full of Spirit.
