‘A garden should get better as time goes on, as it is a continuing and evolving process. It’s never a finished article, that’s not a garden, it’s just a static landscape,” explains Russell Shekleton, the in-house garden designer and director at KHS Landscaping Ltd.

From the day he meets clients up until the finished garden, his intention is that everyone is happy with the space, but more importantly, that with the maturing of plants and trees, in time, the garden looks 100 times better.

“The core structure and structural planting, that’s what should tie it together, but it does change with time as the plants and trees develop,” explains Russell.

KHS Landscaping is an award-winning garden landscape design and construction company based in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath.

Founded in 2004, the company has been creating contemporary gardens for clients for over 21 years. But for Russell, his passion and love of gardening blossomed long before that. He always had a family connection to the ground as his grandfather was a gardener in Wexford, and his parents grew vegetables in their greenhouse.

In his early 20s, he studied horticulture at Warrenstown Horticulture College. He worked for KHS Landscaping before moving to Kerry to work on Kells Bay House and Gardens. After setting up a garden shop in Wexford, Russell returned to KHS, where he has spent the last 10 years building the business with founder and director Patrick Dowling.

A passion for planting

The importance of planting is a passion for Russell, and as a result, it is an aspect of the design process that he puts a lot of detail into.

“I carried out a work placement in Airfield Estate gardens in Dundrum.

“It was there that something changed, and I became obsessed with plants. I have a lifelong love of planting. I focus a lot on that, and then you have to be able to design to know where to put plants and to pull it all together.

“The planting aspect of the company has grown to the point where it’s almost equal to the hard landscaping,” he says.

Seasonality is everything, and Russell believes that there should always be something that lifts the spirits in the garden at any time of the year.

“Whether it’s a cherry or a magnolia or whether it’s herbaceous or woodland planting, it should be something that makes you stop and say, ‘That’s beautiful’.

There are lots of plants that are used where they have colour all year, but that’s not something that I would do. It should be highlighting the seasons to make people stop and look,” he explains.

Russell has a love for formal gardens, but he emphasises the importance of having a good structure.

“It has to connect to the house; it has to link. It can’t be ill-considered or a random shape for no reason. It has to look great, make an impression and be a space that you want to be in,” says Russell.

Proportions are always something to be conscious of, which is why the house structure is Russell’s starting point. He sits down with each client to go through their wishlist and understand what they would like to get done.

“I have a look at the garden, walk the site, and talk about what their aspirations for it are. From that, it’s down to the design stage, initially, to get concept drawings and a mood board of what the overall look and feel is to make sure that we’re all going in the right direction. Then we follow that up with more detailed plans,” explains Russell.

The process generally takes anything from six months to 15 months, depending on each project, as they are all unique.

Russell has seen the scale of budgets increase in recent years as people become more focused on their outdoor space.

“If I had one piece of advice apart from meeting the designer at the start of building a house, it is to plant trees.

“It doesn’t matter what your budget is but the sooner they are in the ground, established and growing, the sooner your house is settled in. Boundaries and trees, it’s the best money you’ll ever spend, especially in rural areas,” says Russell.

Trends

Over the years, Russell has seen many different trends and concepts in gardens.

“The fact that glass is playing such a prominent role in home extensions and renovations shows the connection that people want from their house to their garden. And not just a cliché, ‘I want a room outside’, but when it’s done properly, that’s how you will treat it. The connection between them should be seamless,” he says.

He has seen a movement across the country that when people are doing anything with their home, the garden becomes far more important.

“There has been a massive shift. You can argue that the climate isn’t always right. But when the weather is nice, you’re appreciative when you have a nice space to sit and enjoy it,” he says.

Russell says a lot of people are too focused on the hard landscape and paving and don’t have as much conversation about the planting. When it comes to creating the level of privacy that people want to get, he says, “it’s not a case of planting a wall or an overpowering wall of greenery”.

“It’s about layers. A garden should always look like a garden, but it shouldn’t be an oppressive space. And you should always be conscious about overshading and all the practical considerations.

“The early consultation usually pays dividends to the client and the finished overall project,” he says.

Over the last while, people have been looking to lengthen the evenings in their garden space. As a result, Russell has seen more clients looking for a source of heat.

“Whether it’s a fire or gas or infrared or electric, there are lots of options. That has probably been an ongoing trend for the last 10 years, and now everyone wants a sauna. Pergolas are still massively trending since COVID-19,” he says.

“I think nobody has left their door open for the last three months, but everybody has the aspiration to use their garden more. Of course, it’s weather-dependent as much as anything. It does have to look great; you have to look at it and be happy. I think it’s more than a trend now.

“It really is ingrained in anybody that has a garden, how much they love it and use it,” he says.

He is also seeing a lot of people using garden rooms if they are limited for space for study spaces or as home offices and music rooms.

“I am always conscious, especially if space is at a premium, that it never dominates. It’s really integrated, so I would take great care in softening it,” he says.

For anyone considering a garden revamp, Russell advises contacting a landscaper around October, in order to get it finished for the following spring/summer. Depending on the scale of the project, With his knowledge and experience, Russell has really enjoyed the growth in the scale of projects.

“They are quite big undertakings, but when it’s finished and it’s perfect, and the client is happy [that’s the satisfaction]. My favourite part is going back a year later and seeing it when it has grown and settled in. And maybe new ideas, feeling that this is not static, it is never truly finished,” he concludes.

See khs.ie