Horticulturist Wes Shaw: Travelling To See How Plants Grow In Their Natural Habitats
Contributions From WES SHAW
With 30 years of experience in horticulture - 12 of which were spent at Kew Gardens - Wes Shaw now works as a freelance Garden Designer and Urban Greening Consultant. He also works as a Gardener at a Lutyens House in Surrey and has previously been Head Gardener at Horniman Museum & Gardens in London. Wes has been awarded Master of Horticulture status from the RHS.
After thirty years in horticulture – including twelve at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens as a Botanical Horticulturist – Wes Shaw now offers his services as a freelance Garden Designer and Consultant.
He has also previously worked as Head Gardener at the Horniman Museum & Gardens in London and still spends some of his days putting his gardening skills to use by tending to a garden in Surrey.
I spoke to Wes about his love of travel, why he likes to see plants growing in their natural habitats and his plans for the future.
Imagery featured in this article is provided with permission by Wes Shaw.
How Did You First Get Into Gardening?
“It all started when I began working at a local nursery that produced bedding plants after school,” shares Wes.
“It was a great place to learn the basics of horticulture and develop a work ethic that has helped me throughout my career. Also, during that time I worked with a local landscaper and looked after a few gardens, which were other great learning experiences.
“I was in my mid-twenties when my mum encouraged me to go for a job at Kew Gardens. I somehow got it and ended up working there for twelve years, six of which I spent managing the famous Palm House’s living collection.
“I had a fabulous time at Kew and then went on to work as Head of Horticulture at the Horniman Museum & Gardens in South London and looked after Sky Garden at the top of the famous Walkie-Talkie building.
“I am now a full-time freelancer specialising in planting design and horticultural consultancy.”
What Attracted You To A Career In Garden Design?
“I think it was the desire to become self-employed and not have to work for other people anymore,” he says.
“When working as a Head Gardener, I was spending more and more time on boring tasks like staff management and admin and getting further away from working with plants.
“So, I took the leap and gave it all up to concentrate on my own work.
“I don’t really call myself a Garden Designer, I prefer to be described as a Professional Horticulturist. Design is one aspect of my work and it’s mainly planting design rather than full garden makeovers.
“I also look after a couple of high-end gardens and work with other designers and landscape architects by advising on any aspect of horticulture within their projects. I love the variety of what I do now.”
What Does your Process For Designing Gardens Look Like?
“My design process is probably like most designers, in that I start with sketching out ideas which gradually evolve into a theme or layout,” Wes shares.
“I use CAD to transfer this to a master or a planting plan. SketchUp is my program of choice for everything, as it’s affordable software that does the job and is reasonably easy to use.”
What Are You Inspired By?
“My inspiration comes from the natural world and I’m a big advocate of travelling as much as possible to see how plants grow in their natural habitats.
“I particularly like naturalistic designs based on grassland habitats.
“Over the last few years, I’ve made a couple of trips to the Mid-west of the US to look at the remaining Prairie habitats – and also spent a week this year in the Dolomites in Northern Italy studying the alpine meadows.”
Do You Have A Particular Favourite Memory Of A Garden You Have Designed?
“One that springs to mind is the bee garden I designed whilst working at the Horniman Museum & Gardens, as it was a fantastic project that the team and I completed during lockdown and on a really tight budget,” explains Wes.
“It was a wildlife garden planted with bee-friendly plants, bug hotels and an area of wildflower meadow. The centrepiece of the garden was a sculpture by local Artist and Environmentalist Dr Jasmine Pradissitto.
“The piece was called ‘FlowerGirl’ and was made from a material called Noxsorb, a geopolymer that absorbs NO₂ pollution from the air. NO₂ has been found to mask the smell of flowers and prevent bees from finding food.1Shaw, W. (2020, July 23). Helping bees thrive on the South Circular. Horniman Museum & Gardens. Retrieved August 17, 2023, from https://www.horniman.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BeeGarden_FINAL.pdf
“Whilst working together on the Garden, Jasmine fell for my charm and gardening skills and we have been together for 3 years now, so this project was definitely a special one!”
What Does A Day In Your Working Life Typically Look Like?
“I spend 2 days a week looking after a beautiful garden surrounding one of the Lutyens Houses in the Surrey Hills,” he says.
“Other days may involve running around nurseries picking up plants for a particular project and I usually have at least a day a week working from home on design projects.
“Working for myself has definitely improved my work-life balance and I always manage to fit in the gym or some tennis in the afternoons.”
What Is Your Favourite Time Of Year To Be In The Garden?
“Spring and autumn, without a doubt,” Wes shares.
“I absolutely love the change in seasons and how it affects the plants and the natural world. For me, summer is when everything turns brown for a few months and you have to try and keep everything alive.”
What’s Next For You?
“My plan for the next couple of years is to push the consultancy side of my work more by building up a bigger client base.
“I would like to work with more urban designers and be involved with the planting design side of urban planning. I would also love to do another project with my other half Jasmine, as the combination of sculptures and plants can be really special.
“I intend to keep travelling and learning, and hope my next trip is to the grasslands of South America.”
Do You Have Any Advice For Those Thinking Of Giving Garden Design A Go?
“My top tip to any budding designers is to not neglect your plant knowledge,” he advises.
“I see a lot of designers that have spent a couple of years training and come out with the skills to create a spatial layout of a garden and produce nice renders, but the planting is not good and this usually reflects on the garden a year or two after completion.
“Plants either don’t establish properly or don’t perform because of the lack of knowledge about their needs and requirements.
“All garden designers should try and get experience as a hands-on gardener for a few years to really understand how plants work within a garden and how a garden is maintained.”
