Portfolio

These are some of my designs I made for several clients in an ecovillage in the Netherlands. Within the restrictions of the average small gardens in the Netherlands I was able to create naturalness, beauty and functionality.

The Medicine Wheel Garden

A Garden for Ceremonial Purposes

This garden was being designed for a couple with two kids who were both interested in giving spiritual ceremonies in their own garden and offered a space for their children to play.

Both terraces have a difference in height, giving it a playful character. In the circle in the center, with a fire place and seats to sit, I created wood logs that differ in height and could be walked upon by the kids, jumping from one log to another.

The use of trees and hedges made it possible for enough sunlight to come in, but at the same time create private and secluded spaces where the couple could withdraw.

The planting/flower scheme follows the colors of the seven chakra's; from red to yellow, from blue to purple. The four segments symbolize the four wind directions. Most of the plants that I used in this design are either edible and/or medicinal

The Octopus Garden

A Garden Breathing the Atmosphere of Scotland and the Mediterranean

Resembling an octopus, this design was nicknamed 'The Octopus Garden'. The couple who hired me to design their garden wanted to connect with their two favorite holiday destinations: Scotland and the Mediterranean.

Not an easy task to reconcile two such diverse landscapes into one relative small garden. But with overlapping planting schemes I created a Scotland like landscape on the left side and a Mediterranean landscape on the right side.

The patio in the middle is made of simple but robust wood and bordered by tiles that resemble the tiles in both Portugal and Morocco. With flow forms, a technique to revitalize water in bio-dynamic gardening, I created the atmosphere of water rich Scotland. The garden also has different heights with on top of each hill some catchy plants.

Special element in the garden are the pathways. They are made of different materials, such as woodchips, gravel and (beach)sand. The owners of the garden like to walk barefoot and experience different sensations when walking barefoot through their garden.

Inspired by Stephano Marinaz

Restructuring an existing garden and working with existing plant materials

A new design for an existing garden made for an enthusiastic admirer of the work of Stephano Marinaz.

The great challenge was to use many of the existing plants, flowers and trees in the already established garden. I first made with an inventory of all the plants and added a lot of new, shade resistant flowers and plants with remarkable foliage in the northwest part of the garden. In the southwest corner of the garden the sun could come in to give the sun-loving flowers a good head start.

This garden both envisions naturalness, with the pond and the sun facing part of the garden to softly passing into a woodland garden.

Early Work

A Natural & Functional Small Garden

One of my more early work of designing gardens, done for a young couple with small kids. Because of the kids I did not incorporate any poisonous plants in the garden.

Working with this couple was a beautiful challenge because of two totally different characters with accordingly different perspectives and needs for the garden.

First sketch of the garden

One of the highlights of the garden is a big circle made of braided willow branches to break with the angular and straight forms of their modern house.

Braided willow branches to break the big square window in the living room

Another striking element of the garden was a bath tub, used as a cold water bath by one of the couple. The other one wanted a secluded place, to sit on a pier surrounded by grasses and bamboos, where she could see the water underneath her. I made both wishes into one. The open, wooden cover of the bath functioned as a safe guard for the little children. The man could take his bath and the woman could sit on top of the bath surrounded by grasses and bamboos. See left under.

The final design