David Boothman
David Boothman graduated from London College of Garden Design with Distinction, winning the coveted College Prize for ‘Top Student.’ David brings a high level of professionalism, creativity and technical expertise to each garden design delivering garden transformations which help clients realise the full potential of their outdoor spaces.
David specialises in creating imaginative, sustainable, modern garden designs across a broad range of garden sizes and styles taking his inspiration from the natural world around him. At the heart of all his designs is a deep connection with the surrounding environment and landscape. His goal is to create gardens which feel rooted in their landscape and which are wildlife and insect friendly boosting biodiversity.
His design work is guided by 5 design principles:
1) Creative & Imaginative garden design
2) More planting, less hard landscaping
3) Wildlife & insect friendly gardens
4) Resilient, sustainable & considerate
5) A style designed around you
Working from his Hertfordshire studio, David offers a range of garden design services, from a comprehensive design & build service to smaller scale planting design, across The Chilterns, London and surrounding areas.
Biography:
David recently transitioned from a successful corporate career to pursue his lifelong passion for gardening, horticulture and garden design. David spent 30+ years working in and leading numerous well-known high street & customer facing businesses. David brings his passion for delivering customer satisfaction to his new business ‘David Boothman Garden Design.’
Instagram – @davidboothman_gardendesign
The client brief was to create a masterplan for the 4 acre site which allowed the owners to develop the site over time. The family had recently moved to the Chilterns to build their new Passivhaus, forever home, and had a deep desire to connect with nature and bring their family up within a beautiful outdoor space. The site was a gently sloping ‘field’ with high boundaries and very exposed in nature.
The masterplan design takes its inspiration from the living and breathing Chilterns landscape which has been created by the interaction of man and nature over centuries. A cultural landscape with rare chalk streams at its heart. A garden which demonstrates how family and nature can thrive together creating a lasting legacy of memories, experiences, restoration and biodiversity gain.
The client brief was to create a series of garden spaces for entertainment, relaxation, play and growing vegetables on a steeply sloping site. The owners were keen gardeners but were looking to keep garden maintenance to a minimum but deliver year round interest.
The design was grounded in the local Chilterns landscape using local materials and species commonly seen in the area. The design was inspired by extending the modern & contemporary home interior into the garden to deliver a coherent, modern space. Excavating beyond the back of house created a large entertaining and relaxation space. Brick terraces were used to create flat, usable spaces and deliver an immersive feel through lush and colourful planting.
The client brief was to create a unified garden from a disparate set of underutilised spaces. There was a desire for more entertaining and relaxation spaces, places for the children to play and places to grow vegetables. The site was a 0.5 acre rear garden which was disjointed and compartmentalised with underused and overgrown areas.
Inspired by the limestone landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, the garden design draws on the powerful influence of water – referred to as ‘The Second Element’ – to create a breathtaking, cohesive outdoor space. The design abstractly incorporates the structural elements of the limestone pavements above Malham Cove, forging connections across the garden that reflect the natural beauty of the local landscape.
