Meet The Designers
Alli Croft, garden designer and lead creative and Holden Clough owner and award-winning plant expert John Foley, talk about the many and varied projects that have evolved from the original concept of the plant nursery
Working together on creating beautiful gardens, Alli Croft and John Foley make a dynamic team. Perfectly complementing each other, Alli’s designs are quite simply stunning while John’s expertise in plants and planting, results in gardens that are ultimately aesthetically pleasing as well as being practical outdoor living spaces.
“We each have our specialism,” says Alli, who creates hand-painted, watercolour sketches when designing a garden.
If someone wants a full garden re-design or a design from scratch the process is simple, as Alli explains: “I get involved with the design element but if it’s a re-evaluation of planting then John obviously is the person they go to.
“Planting has to take into account the weather and that’s what Holden Clough does best. We can get snow in April here in Lancashire and we have to take that into consideration when planting.”
Whether you have a tiny plot or a large expanse of garden, the team at Holden Clough can develop a design that will work for you: “If it’s a larger site we will arrange a topographical survey, or if it’s relatively small, clients can measure the space themselves. I get to know clients and what their aims and needs are with regards to their outside space, whether they entertain, where they hang their washing – all the practical things associated with a garden,” says Alli, who then produces drawings in her distinctive style.
Always recognisable, her sketches feature gentle skilled detail in watercolour, which will outline the layout, garden features and lighting as well as Alli’s personal observations: “All my thoughts about the design will be noted on the drawings.”
When the client is happy with the design, John and Alli will meet at the Croft pod located near the beck at Holden Clough: “Together we will discuss the project in detail and John will consider the planting.
“He will look at the drawings and summarise what will work best. If a client has a preferential gardener John can provide a plant specification, which they can inherit. Alternatively, we always recommend Holden Clough as the plants are guaranteed – they are grown and chosen for a perfect end result.”
John adds: “The whole concept of Holden Clough is a collection of examples of garden features and elements that make up the design of your own garden. It has been carefully designed with this in mind to create a truly inspirational nursery setting.”
In her designs Alli always includes a garden feature: “This is the axis around which the garden is centred and that often brings together the house and outside space.
“It may be a water feature or a sculpture,” says Alli, who often uses antique urns as centrepieces or one of Holden Clough’s striking terracotta urns from the Pots and Pithoi collection displayed outside Holden Clough’s Croft pod office, where a stone waterfall forms a beautiful natural backdrop.
“The Pots and Pithoi urns are made in Crete and are fabulous! Even if you just have a small back garden, one of these pots with a single topiary and an uplighter can form an eye-catching centrepiece. Less is more.
“Also in a small garden, mirrors can make a huge difference reflecting the light and making it look bigger. We have used them to great effect in Holden Clough’s show gardens.”
Alli, has worked with John on projects of varying sizes, as she explains: “We worked on a four-acre site which featured a pond, woodland gardens and a theatre – we have also worked on small cottage gardens whereby someone who is retiring might want a summerhouse where they can sit and read or enjoy a gin and tonic. I like to create different areas if possible, where people can dine or meditate – no garden should have just one single feature.”
When planting is considered John curates the plants to match the setting: “It becomes quite poetic. He curates them in a beautiful way,” says Alli. “Whether it’s borders or specific areas, repeating a sequence of planting over and over again, reflects classic garden design and the results are always stunning.”
