Charlie Albone

I have been interested in gardens and landscape design for most of my life. I have lived not only in Australia and England but Hong Kong. Having these opportunities has allowed me to view and enjoy a wide range of landscapes and gardens. I have worked in various landscape situations from English country manor houses to small inner city court yards and even rural French farm houses. This has led me to become passionate about the design of my surroundings.

I have been designing and building gardens for almost ten years now and really enjoy seeing my imagination come to life in the various forms of materials and plants. A good landscape design can really alter the genius loci (mood) of a space; you can feel a special emotional connection with an area that will stay with you forever. For me it’s a pleasurable experience to create a space you will want to spend time in and then return to. In the upcoming articles will share some of my tips for you to use in your garden designs.

In this column I aim to show and discuss with you the finer points of landscape design. I’ll take you through the process I go through when designing a space and we will look at maximizing your space’s potential, amongst many other things. I won’t give too much advice on the old favorites like how to prune your roses or how to start a compost heap. Although all that information is vital to the success of a garden I want to share with you what I am passionate about: landscape design. From a design’s conception to its completion you will come across various hurdles and constraints. I aim here to help you through these, so feel free to ask me anything regarding your design problems, and even share your solutions.

I look forward to speaking with you and sharing my knowledge with you each month but until then feel free to e-mail me directly via the "Ask a Question" button at the top of this page.