Design
Fernhill is named after the beautiful poem by Dylan Thomas. It is unlikely Dylan could have written such a poem if he had lived in the sterile concrete desert many of our children survive in now.
It is not many years ago (in cosmic terms) that human beings lived free in rain forests. It is therefore not surprising that when we walk into nature, our mind, body and soul are soothed and we relax. We feel disconnected, stressed and wrong in cities and human behaviour reflects this wrongness. The city environment is totally alien to us – like fish living in sand. Being in a garden should bring us back to our true selves and to nature. Working in a garden frees the spirit, so although low maintenance is OK, the physical and mental benefits of pottering round a garden are incalculable. Fernhill believes gardens should find space for bee-filled chamomile and lavender or a bird-friendly shrub rather than more dead concrete.
Animals, birds and insects are integral to Fernhill garden designs. No outdoor space should be without the dance of a cabbage white on a June morning or the chirpy visit from a male robin in November when all seems dead. Such things make a life worth living. Every visit from a bee means that your garden is fruitful and healthy. A patch of weeds, a birdbath, leaves left under the shrubbery over winter will reward you with a garden full of life all year.
Near where I live, Council workmen have tidied away the clutter and debris of several years leaf drop from a tiny green space in the town. Where every morning I used to see and hear blackbirds scampering and sparrows finding a few grubs to keep their little bodies going, now it is truly dead. Nice clean compost, a few sprigs of bush and not a birdsong to be heard. It is becoming impossible for nature to survive cities and towns – so gardens and gardeners are the saviours.
Children have a special place in Fernhill gardens. If you are fortunate, your memories of childhood will include one or more beloved garden. Fernhill can design a garden that will stimulate a child’s imagination, allow them to grow and play in safety and learn to love nature. Children do not actually need X-Boxes and theme parks; these things are of the adult world. They do need a healthy environment in which they can absorb themselves, disappear into their fantasy, play out their fears, chase, hide, experiment and worship. Even a small garden can include a place for dens, a swing or rope or patch of green for dolly tea parties.