Rufus Rawley
After a degree in Latin and Spanish from Manchester University, Rufus went on to study Horticulture (RHS Level 2), Garden Design (City & Guilds), Planting Design (Open College Network) and Computer-Aided Design (Vectorworks Landmark) at Capel Manor College.
When embarking upon a garden design commission, he takes care to identify any nuances of the local architectural vernacular, the historical context of the building and its setting, as well as the general ‘spirit of the place’, the aim being to create a garden not only to inspire, but also to anchor the building or house to which it corresponds sympathetically, without drawing undue attention to itself. Ecological planting design principles are employed in order to encourage birds, bees and beneficial invertebrates generally, so that a naturally calibrated ecosystem is established. Stylistically Rufus favours a garden defined by strong elements of ‘green architecture’ providing essential structure to the garden, which is especially noticeable in winter when the garden ‘reveals its bones’. This ‘structure’ is then softened by timeless classic associations, such as lavender and roses, interspersed with mixes of reliable perennial planting, designed to thrive in the given situation. Paths, terraces and structures are generally clean of line, unobtrusive and made from fine quality natural materials. “The all-singing, all-dancing ‘Outdoor Room’ garden concept with associated ‘wow factor’ has largely been superseded by important ideals such as sustainability and biodiversity. Clients are now, quite rightly, keener to share their gardens with nature, rather than to impose their stamp over it. The Television-style garden makeover, however helpful it might have been in bringing gardening into the spotlight, is definitely on the wane, as people come to realize that a ‘quick fix’ is a fallacy when it comes to garden-making. A garden cannot be ‘done’ in quite the same way as a kitchen or a bathroom – the landscaping and the planting are at the beginning of the physical garden-making process, not the end.” Rufus likes to remain involved at least during the establishment (years 1 to 3) of the gardens that he designs. Writer, Lecturer and internationally acclaimed Garden Designer Mary Keen affirms the importance of proper, diligent garden care: “What clients often fail to grasp is that the success of any garden is 40 per cent design and 60 per cent maintenance.” Rufus successfully and regularly collaborates with other garden designers, landscape architects and interior designers to implement their planting designs or to carry out the specialist pruning or the detailed garden border maintenance which they do not provide themselves. “Without a proper aftercare plan any initial investment in setting up the garden is pointless,” Rufus adds. He sees great value in a slower, less disruptive, ‘greener’ approach to garden making in the form of longer term “restoration and development projects,” taking time to get to know the intricacies of a garden as he brings it into good health through regular maintenance, before making suggestions which can be adopted in the fullness of time.
Rufus lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire with his wife Natalia and their sons Tarka, Merlin, Ivo and Rowan.