Explore My Services
Biosecurity & Diagnostics
Some things only become visible from above. A drone survey produces an orthomosaic, elevation model and other mapped outputs, which together show ground conditions, drainage patterns, canopy health and features that are invisible at head height.
On the ground, diagnostics means assessing symptoms, patterns and likely causes, and identifying where further investigation or confirmation is needed. The two work together: the survey shows where to look, and the fieldwork establishes what is actually happening there.
Historic Rejuvenation
Whether it is a Thomas Mawson layout that has lost its structure or a walled garden that has been quietly declining for forty years, the work starts the same way: establishing what was there. That means archival research, early ordnance survey maps, estate plans and photographs, read against what survives on the ground.
From there it is a question of what to plant and why. I advise on planting schemes and plant selection for historic settings, and on sourcing stock that will actually thrive in the conditions rather than simply look right on paper.
Plantsmanship
Choosing the right plant for a place is the oldest part of this job and still the part that most often goes wrong. Stock gets specified from a catalogue, planted into conditions it will never tolerate, and replaced three years later.
I advise on plant selection and sourcing: what will grow in a given soil, aspect and exposure, what is appropriate to the setting, and where to get it.
That covers herbaceous planting, shrubs and trees, and it extends to assessing and improving existing collections, whether that is a border that has lost its coherence or an arboretum nobody has catalogued in decades.
Nineteen years of growing things in Scottish conditions, from Edinburgh to the west coast to the Highlands, sits behind that advice.
Having run gardens and teams myself, I also advise on what a planting scheme will actually require to maintain, and whether the resources on the ground can sustain it. A design that fails within five years because nobody could keep up with it has not solved anything.
For Sales & Acquisitions
Independent horticultural assessment can also support the purchase and sale of significant properties, helping prospective purchasers understand the condition and significance of gardens and grounds, and providing informed horticultural input where landscape features need to be described accurately for sale.
Enquiries
Whether it is a planting scheme, a plant health problem, a drone survey or a historic landscape you want to understand better, do get in touch. Tell me a little about the site and what you are trying to achieve, and I will come back to you.