Bowles & Wyer
 

We think that great landscapes come through collaboration. That’s why diverse people, skills and ideas are so important to us. From the day-to-day business of garden design to people management, high finance (and even a bit of politics) – here’s what we think…

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Storytime – how garden designers can use stories

Why (or how) are stories relevant to us, in our work? We may think that as designers, drawings are our main tool in expressing what we mean. But the truth is that the first time we meet a client, we don’t have any drawings to show them…

Wild thing, I think you move me [But I wanna know for sure]*

You don’t need me to tell you that rewilding is a hot topic these days. After all, Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt’s ‘A Rewilding Britain Landscape’ won best in show at Chelsea in 2022. Not only that, but when it comes to gardens, rewilding is becoming a front in the ‘culture wars’. But what does rewilding mean, and how does it interact with garden design…

Thirty years of looking forward…

We held a party this summer to mark thirty years in business and gathered together some of our colleagues and clients to celebrate. The words below are an extract from my speech on the day.
“Just over thirty years ago, Vicky and I had just given birth to our first child. The country was in recession. And I started a new business. It wasn’t as foolish an idea as it sounds…

Could economics learn a thing or two from gardening?

Plants can only grow to the limits of their resources – the water, nutrients and light that allow their growth. Even when those are effectively unlimited, plants can only get so big before they start to collapse under their own weight. We understand this instinctively. It is tempting to say that Some economists are thinking like this, but could economics learn a thing or two from horticulture….

The Lemon Pip Garden – a community Growing Space for the Abbey Centre, Westminster, London

Opened in Spring 2023, the Lemon Pip Garden is an inclusive, community-run urban garden at The Abbey Centre in the heart of Westminster. This is a special place run by and for local people; a place to connect socially, share and develop skills, or simply to take some time-out, outside…

Roof Gardens at 105 Victoria Street, London – should more development be like this?

105 Victoria Street is very much a forward-looking project. Not only does it incorporate many of exciting trends – living walls, green roofs, even an urban farm – it also includes more socially oriented features in the design. These include a bike workshop, a ‘village square’ market and a walk-and-talk meeting route winding through planting…

I is for Irrigation

The letter I – the latest in the A-Z series ‘A History of Horticulture in 26 letters’. John Wyer explores the history of irrigation in gardens – and how necessary it is today…

H is for Hanging Gardens

The letter H – the latest in the A-Z series ‘A History of Horticulture in 26 letters’. John Wyer explores the history of hanging gardens from Babylon to present-day London…

7 things to consider when installing a roof garden

Our design team share their insights into what you need to consider when installing a roof garden…
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