Profile

COMPANY PROFILE

Helen Taylor is an award winning landscape designer with particular expertise in private gardens and high quality landscape spaces around buildings.

With over 12 years experience in landscape and garden design, Helen launched her own design consultancy in 1999 providing clients with imaginative solutions to their requirements and the highest level of professional service.

Helen is also involved in teaching both landscape and garden design with the Royal Horticultural Society, Harlow Carr in Harrogate and at Leeds Metropolitan University and runs short courses for those interested in designing their own gardens.

QUALIFICATIONS

Member of the Landscape Institute, 1991
MA Landscape Design, Sheffield University, 1988
BA Hons. Geography, Durham University, 1986

CURRICULUM VITAE

.April ..1999 - Present	Helen Taylor Landscape & Garden Design
1998 -1999	Harlow Carr Landscapes Ltd., Harrogate
1995 -1998	Inverclyde Council, Greenock
1993 -1994	East Kilbride Development Corporation
1991 -1993	Holford Associates, Glasgow
1988 -1991	Building Design Partnership, Glasgow
1985 -1988	Brian Clouston and Partners, Durham

AWARDS

Harrogate Spring Flower Show,
2000

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show,
1999

Sunday Times Garden Design Competition,
1992

AWARDS

Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2000: Bronze Award

Design Brief
The exhibition garden was designed to the following hypothetical brief:

Client Details
The clients are both Architects in their 30's and have recently moved into a small new-build town house in the waterfront district in the centre of Leeds. One of their private outdoor spaces, which is a small internal courtyard measuring 3 x 6 metres, is accessed from the study via French doors.

Existing Garden
The courtyard receives little direct sunlight because of the enclosing building walls and is therefore very shady. The builders had turfed the courtyard, which has proved to be unsuccessful due to the poor light levels and damp clayey soil. The turf is also very difficult to mow in such a small space. The courtyard is fairly flat and apart from the enclosing walls has no planting or other features.

Client Requirements
A small outdoor garden room to provide an extension to the study and an attractive view from the house.

A lush and green oasis to provide a respite from the city, with the sound of water to drown out traffic noise and to introduce an atmosphere of calm.

The clients would like to extend the minimal, contemporary style used inside the house into their outdoor environment. Given the small space available, their preference is for a simple layout to maximise the sense of space using a restricted palette of materials.

A small decked seating area to connect the inside to the outside and provide a quiet place to enjoy the garden.

A path into the garden to allow direct observation of a water feature and plants.

Removal of all the turf. Plant the garden with a mix of shade tolerant plants to provide all-year-round interest and foliage cover, contrasts in texture and minimal maintenance input. Include a small tree or specimen shrub to give height and create a focal point to view from the study.

Exterior lighting to accent the main garden features and to make them visible from the house at night.

No requirement for a bin store, washing line or utility area - provided elsewhere.

Client's budget £5,000.

AWARDS

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show 1999: Silver Gilt Award

Design Brief
The exhibition garden was designed to represent one corner of a contemporary courtyard and consisted of a planted edge - contained in a steel planter - and a natural stone paved area to accommodate a small table and chairs. The garden also incorporated various mosaic pieces, individually designed for the garden.

The Design
The design explores the striking and beautiful colour combination of cool blue- greens and warm reds and purples and is expressed not only in the plants, but also in the paving and mosaic details. Collaboration with mosaic artist Joanna Kessel, demonstrates how the introduction of small artworks can lift a design and create a truly individual garden.
The layout and design is deliberately simple, given the small space available, in order that the subtle beauty of the natural stone paving and carefully selected planting and mosaic colours, patterns and textures can be fully appreciated.

Planting
Plants were selected not only for their colour but for their form, line and texture and were combined to create striking contrasts in all of these qualities.
Among the plants used were Picea pungens 'Glauca' and Festuca glauca for their steely blue colour and Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana' and Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' for their rich reds and purples. Eucalyptus gunnii combines both these colours in its blue-green leaves and red stems.

Paving
Indian Blue Limestone was selected for its unusual blue-green colour. Large flags were used to provide a smooth surface for the table and chairs and small setts at the edge to give a change in texture. The mosaic trim, which is an integral part of the paving design, used colours from the plants and paving with accents of silver to reflect light.

Planter
The planter was clad in brushed stainless steel to give a crisp modern look to the garden and to introduce reflections of the paving and mosaic and to maximise the feeling of space.

AWARDS

Walled Garden, Formakin Estate, Glasgow

Winning design for The Sunday Times Garden Design Competition 1992.
Chosen for its " appropriateness to the site and the harmony with which it would marry the house and surrounding gardens." (Graham Rose - Sunday Times Gardening Correspondent).