Tim Matcham Garden Design

Gardening can be quite a lonely pastime. Hours spent pottering amongst the borders tending those delicate blooms and marvelling at nature as she goes about her business. Don’t get me wrong I am very comfortable with my own company but sometimes it’s good to share your experiences with others. Debate designs, discuss plants and share passion for gardens.

This week I attended the first Hard Landscaping Show, at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry and while my first impressions of Coventry aren’t exactly glowing it turned in to quite a day. It started at the HQ of NFU Mutual on the outskirts of Stratford on Avon. I was generously accommodated in the Farmhouse – my fellow B&B ‘ers were none other than the main board of Directors preparing for a board meeting that morning – it made for an interesting breakfast! NFU Mutual sponsor the Garden Network which I have been running for just on a year now.

As owner of the Garden Network I make an effort whenever I can to get out and meet members. It’s fantastic to put faces to names. These are people that only exist in a sort of parallel universe normally – today I was going to meet them for real.

There were three members present that I was particularly keen to meet for the first time, as well as catching up with a few others that I had met previously. The first meeting was with ‘fenlandphil‘ – who was a real gentleman and clearly passionate about his company making ironwork for gardens. Despite 23 or more years in business he still seemed as keen as mustard to find new ways to promote his business both on and offline – if you need obelisks and garden seats this is the place to go!

My next meeting was with Kerry Jackson. Wow – what a surprise! My expectation was completely shredded! Sometimes we pigeon hole people for reasons that I am not entirely sure. Here was a man so driven and enthusiastic for his work, and it was stunning. He has developed a very strong identity and has won a number of awards for his work – including one at the show. I have arranged to meet up with Kerry again at the Malvern Spring Show to look at the show gardens together – I am really looking forward to that as I anticipate we will challenge each others thinking in a really positive way. I’m also looking forward to seeing some of his gardens ‘in real life’ when I get a chance.

The third person was again quite a surprise. Claudia de Yong is well known for her water gardens – not least when she triumphed at Hampton Court, winning a Gold Medal and  the Tudor Rose in 2006 for her garden hotsprings. When you meet what might be described as garden design royalty, it is difficult to know what to expect. My fears were totally unfounded and we chatted for several hours about garden design, encounters with others and how we ran our businesses. The rapport that developed was interesting and demonstrates the benefit of networking. Although we might technically be regarded as competitors, we actually started looking for ways that we could enhance each others businesses through collaboration.

All of the people that I met will be beneficial in helping me develop my ideas and further extending my knowledge and personal network. So much for gardening being lonely then! By seeking out others you can enrich your experience and gain knowledge that will help you get even greater enjoyment out your garden and your life! So who’s up for meeting at Malvern?

Tags:   aspirational · business · enjoy · Garden Network · gardening · Inspiration · networking · opportunity · Success2 Comments