About me
My father was a nursery man and maybe that’s where my interest comes from, but my passion for gardens really started when I bought my first home, I quickly realised the difference that the application of careful creative thought could make to an outdoor space.
Following an award winning career in Graphic Design and looking for a new creative challenge, I made the decision to turn my passion for gardens and garden design into a career. This decision was made all the easier when my son graduated from Greenmount College and immediately set up a business in landscape gardening. Following the completion in 2015, of a formal qualification in Garden Design, I have worked with my son’s company, Lawn and Border on a number of significant garden projects, which I have designed and which Lawn and Border have then gone on to build. I believe that this father and son relationship may be unique to Garden design and build in Northern Ireland.
As a Garden Design student, I picked up my first design award, (details of the project can be found below). This was the first time a student from Northern Ireland had been successful in this particular competition and Chelsea Gold Medal winning designer, Diarmuid Gavin, who judged the designs, described mine as a ‘Wonderful Garden”.
It is a huge privilege and responsibility to be asked to design a garden, I take immense pride in being able to connect people with their outdoor spaces and the obvious joy that it brings to them and their families.
In my spare time, I enjoy Landscape photography, my work can be viewed at www.nigeljamisonphotography.com, I love walking, and I am a keen follower of all manner of sports. I am a Garden Volunteer at Rowallane Gardens, the regional headquarters of the National Trust in Northern Ireland. I live in County Down with my wife Linda, son Aaron and our 2 dogs Copper and Tilly.
Nigel Jamison
Design Rationale
When I first looked at photographs and plans of the design space, I quickly felt that a normal show/display garden could look incongruous because of the established and naturalistic nature of the setting and surroundings, but the opportunity exists to do something different.
The backcloth of trees and the expanse of sky when looking directly into the space reminded me of those wild places of Ireland that are not only dramatic but that are also steeped in history. Ireland is fondly looked upon as 'The Land of Saints and Scholars', we are known for our poets, writers, actors and musicians, past and present, but we also live on an island that is rich in mythology and folklore, and where, all around us are signs of past cultures and peoples, the Neolithic, the Bronze and Iron ages, early Christianity and the Celts.
Using these themes as my inspiration, I have designed a garden that embraces visually, several of these influences and that also provides a space where people can be entertained and educated (eg. think of the 'Minack outdoor Theatre' in Cornwall).
Through this garden, Kilsaran Home will benefit in a broader sense, in not only showcasing product but also by the positive publicity and general goodwill (amongst the community and the media) that such a space will generate. I have chosen a range of Kilsaran products that mimic the colour ways of earth, peat bogs, and natural stone, this is important in ensuring my garden fits comfortably in its location as well as providing a contemporary representation of a mythical and magical place.
My design rises from the ground in the form of a stage area for performers and a seating area for the audience, this seating area is curved and envelopes the stage. The stage and seating areas are separated from each other by the inclusion of a rill of 'black' water, black because of its reflective qualities and more importantly it's representation of those pools of black water found in Irish bogs. Water was sacred to the celts and its inclusion in this design is a reflection of that.
When viewed from above, everything radiates out from a common point in a series of concentric circles and arcs.
The main focal point of the garden is a 'Dolmen' like structure, many of which are found in Ireland. Access to the space is through a 1.5 meter entrance located on the western side of the space. This entrance is located in a wall of Connemara Raven walling and is flanked on either side by Kilsaran's 'Causeway natural' walling, erected vertically and reminiscent of the entrance to Irish Neolithic 'Court Cairns'. A short walk towards the stage area and the imposing megalith and we are naturally directed to our left towards the seating areas, flanked on our right by the sweeping rill of shallow black water. Steps over the rill on the right give access to the stage area and the tripod Dolmen structure. Comprised of three locally sourced and quarried, stone legs and a contemporary 'capstone' made from Corten steel, naturally rusting and topped with a covering of sustainable Sedum reflecting those naturally occurring lichens and mosses that attach themselves to our ancient stone structures. The precipitation that runs off this capstone (which is angled at 10˚ front edge to back point) is channelled into the pool below and in turn, into the black rill at front of the stage. Each of the structure's three stone 'legs' are grounded in the stage area into Kilsaran's Haddington Curragh Gold, chosen for its earthy colour tones. Each leg is surrounded by grasses to soften the transition between stone and 'earth'.
Looking out from the stage area to the northwest are two rows of 'seating' built up from Connemara Raven walling and topped with grey Oakstone paving, my 'nod' to the bog oak that is hundreds and sometimes thousands of years old and that still surfaces regularly from Ireland's peat bogs. Behind the seating we have a raised triangular area of heathers chosen not just for their year round colour interest but because these are the plants most often associated with Ireland's wild and magical places. This area will have rocks breaking the surface to maintain a naturalistic feel and the centrepiece of this area will be a 'Fairy Thorn', a Hawthorn tree, chosen to give height and because of it's association to the 'Little People or Faery Folk'.
In summary, everything about this garden reflects the magical and mythical. It is a place for people to come together, It will feel like a place of stories and song, it is a place to reflect, to celebrate, to laugh and to sing, it is a celebration of our past and a place to celebrate our future. This is Kilsaran’s legacy, not just to the customer but also to it’s staff and their continuing and developing relationship with the community. It is truly ‘a áit a bhailiú’ - a 'gathering place'
Awards
Kilsaran Home Student Design Competition
The Brief
Design a garden approx. 60-90sq.m. Location space in the existing Kilsaran Home Display Gardens area. Open brief to encourage creative thinking. The garden must include a number of Kilsaran Paving products,with equal importance being given to both the use of Kilsaran products and planting. The garden must be visually appealing and demonstrate a creative use of product and materials.
The Design Task.
I have designed a garden that is more than a display garden and that not only is a showcase for Kilsaran Home products but is also a space where Kilsaran Home can engage with the community. The garden will not only compliment its surroundings, but it will be complimented by them. To do this, I propose to use the full extent of the site.
