Elodie Pradon
I am French and I live in Lisbon since 6 Years. I am graduated from London College of Garden Design in 2022 (Construction design with Merit & Garden Design). The Garden is a question of balance and continuity, between shapes, and textures, vegetal and mineral. My Design is : 1. offer solutions (to preserve the state of the site), 2. environmental impact(water management, low carbon footprint) 3.Social Interaction(oral version of the inhabitants on climate, frost, search for nursery local approach). A garden is a passage.
Instagram: @elodiepradongardendesign
LinkedIn: @pradon-elodie
Biography:
After 15 years working in Finance in Paris, I was looking for a more creative job. Since 2013, I am building strong skills, in drawings, travelling in beautiful landscapes, reading, permaculture…etc I studied one year (2013-2014) at the Ecole du Paysage Versailles- France “concepteur de Jardin”. All the family moved from France in 2017, to live in the beautiful city of Lisbon(Portugal). I have met Andrew Wilson in 2020, and am very happy to be selected to follow the LCGD Course of Garden Design and Construction Design. I have met wonderful Tutors and Students. My passion for the landscape, nature, biodiversity is coming from my childhood, 18 year spent in Normandy in a beautiful landscape : the Estuary of The Sienne – Tourville sur Sienne – Manche – France.
The Site
40km from Lisbon, the area is close to the Tagus River Estuary (in a natural reserve or abound pink flammant and marshes. The area is swampy and offers a magnificent spectacle).
The Concept
The site revolves around a natural water line made up of precipitation and has shaped the terrain over time. It is the starting point of my Concept.
The Design
The proposed Design revolves around a painting Cécile Walton “Vienna at night” 1923, and the harmony of colors of her palette : soft purple, pale pink, punchy orange, green, yellow. The desire to recreate this universe in this garden with a majority of green 80% and 20% purple pink yellow orange, feminine universe, pastel.
The idea of a passage was born inspiring from a book on John Muir life during lockdown.
The Masterplan
The garden is articulated in 8 axes : driveway, guardhouse, greenhouse, treehouse, pathway, bees, the wild garden, and the rockery dry garden.
Water is at the heart of the garden – this Wild and Rockery dry garden.
Composed of succulents the 1st garden overlooks the terrace and the living room. The atmosphere is structural & colorful. Plants selected, do not need to be supplied with water. the 2nd garden rockery dry garden is wink to music & stones. Alentejo stones will be present to stabilize the water line, and to stage the succulents. The terrace, in natural stone local liçestons, off-white, bright, as a prolongation of the house. She will be elegant and in proportion of the house (500m2). From east to west it will be composed of a cocoon where to relax in recycled deckchairs under an elegant, colorful tree (jacaranda), the a green ceramic pool (interesting contrast with the water) as well as a lunch area close to the house and a kitchen garden close to the kitchen. The pool has 2 levels, high east low west. The western part offer a view of the water line and has the light of the setting sun for a gin tonic (sunset gift of nature).
Timothy Vaugan says that “the garden is a question of balance and continuity, between shapes, and textures, vegetal and mineral (Kingstown Botanical garden saint vincent of the Grenadines).
The Challenge is to develop a design solution for a private garden (Victorian Cottage, 3 children family, Woodland).The botanical garden of Barcelona inspired me, to shape the garden with a wood ramp, and curtain steel walls along the pathway.
The planting design idea is to stylised nature, in the way Dries Van Noten imagine his new collection for Spring 2021, Froufrou pop, musselin tulle.
Also Forming a strong connection with the natural environnement, through Biodiversity, bees and butterfly. The garden proposed will be Naturalistic & Sensible, the atmosphère : Romantic, Soft, Muslin aspect.
The property, close to the Chesham Bois Wood of 16ha, has a garden offering a view on it. The design proposed is Sylvia Crowe’s Design in 1960 “Sylvia Crowe’s Town Garden” Wexham spring(materials cement and concrete). It is an opportunity to create pools to illuminate a shaded part of the garden, by reflecting the clouds. Water is circulating and creating a calming effect of the sound of water. the sound of water flowing, is really a point of interest, in my design. Materials selected, Corten Steel.
The terrasse commands views down the garden over 3 pools. materials suggested (for the terrace) is Natural Stone, all over the garden, for more sustainability.
A Sunset Terrace, revealed from the kitchen window, and well positioned regarding to the neighbor, covered by a pergola in Corten Steel, in harmony with pools.
Using walls and cube in cork is giving to the garden an entry for an artistic approach, with natural material recently discovered in Portugal, sustainable and durable.