The Garden Equation by Sally Tierney

The Garden Equation by Sally Tierney

Every gardener dreams of having a delightful garden. I know this is true: every year hundreds of thousands of people, just like you, visit gardens for pleasure up and down the country. Yet in reality the garden at home is often seen as an encumbrance that takes up too much of your time and energy. Keeping on top of it becomes something you are unable or willing to put the necessary time into because you have other commitments - work, travelling, caring for the family or enjoying retirement.

Perhaps you know all too well how that feels?

What is really happening is that your garden is out of tune with you and your lifestyle. By this I mean that your garden requires more time to look after than you have available. This situation occurs quite often and it does not come from a lack of effort, enthusiasm or horticultural expertise.

I believe, based on eighteen years experience as a professional garden designer, that this happens because you have not based your garden on the three essential steps all beautiful and ordered gardens are based on, that I call The Garden Equation.

The Garden Equation consists of three steps which if used and applied correctly will enable you to make the right choices about time and maintenance to create the ideal garden to fit in with you and your lifestyle. The three steps are:

Step One: The Expierence of the Garden

Know exactly what you want to have or do in your garden. What is it that makes being outside in the garden an enjoyable experience for you?

Step Two: The Physical Conditions

Identify and use the physical conditions in the garden that are already present and use plants that will thrive there. Work with nature, not against it.

Step Three: Maintenance Considerations.

Assess the maintenance implications of the design before the garden is built. If necessary tailor the plan while it is still on patper or your existing garden, to make sure that the maintenance fits in with the time you have.

This book is a practical guide for applying my signature method of foundation garden design to your own garden, be it an existing garden or a new one you are starting from scatch.

As a result of using The Garden Equation and adapting your thinking, I know that your garden will become a seamless and integral part of your lifestyle, beyond your hopes and expectations.

Sally Tierney's first book, The Garden Equation, was published because she is passionate about assisting people in making the most of their gardens and outdoor living areas. She has worked as a professional garden designer for the past 18 years and has poured her knowledge of horticulture and garden design into this book. She's also received a Silver-Gilt Medal from the Chelsea Flower Show and multiple Gold Medals from the Harrogate Spring Flower Festivals. She studied horticulture and design at Askham Bryan College in York and graduated from the University of Leeds with a bachelor's degree. Sally founded Yorkshire Garden Designer after completing an apprenticeship with English Heritage. She is a member of the Society of Garden Designers and a British Association of Landscape Industries Registered Designer.