<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Garden Designer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Garden design based in Suffolk UK but design nationwide]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/media</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2026 11:14:50 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.studiostourgardendesign.studio/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Garden Design Is an Investment, Not Just Another Cost]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Much Does Garden Design Cost? It's probably the question I'm asked more than any other, and understandably so. If you're thinking about transforming your garden, it's only natural to want to know what the design process will cost before taking the next step. The honest answer is that every project is different. A small courtyard garden requires a very different level of input to a large country garden or commercial landscape, which is why Studio Stour doesn't work from a fixed price list....]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/design-is-an-investment-not-just-another-cost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4622d72a8938f609c1804b</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:44:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_801b9284ba684456bf1ae3b2a1457ee6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Studio Stour Wins Gold Medal and People’s Choice Award at Bord Bia Bloom 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rooted in Resilience Receives Top Honours at Ireland's Premier Garden Show Studio Stour is delighted to announce that our show garden, Rooted in Resilience, has been awarded both a Gold Medal and the People's Choice Award at Bord Bia Bloom 2026 in Dublin, Ireland. https://www.bordbiabloom.com/rooted-in-resilience/ https://myeloma.ie/ Created in partnership with Multiple Myeloma Ireland, the garden explored the lived experience of people affected by multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/studio-stour-wins-gold-medal-and-people-s-choice-award-at-bord-bia-bloom-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2889c9bcf454bfefdefcfb</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Journel]]></category><category><![CDATA[Project Insights]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:10:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_eb0c6f1698464874981a891c7b76c61e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reflections wins European recognition at the Pro Landscaper International Award. Garden Design news]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’m delighted to share that Reflections, a garden I designed and which Paul Greenyer and his team at InsideOut Home &#38; Garden Improvements brought to life, has won the Residential Project Over $500k category in the Europe Heat of the 2027 Pro Landscaper International Awards. Paul collected the award at Future Scape in Farnborough. Seeing him holding the trophy is a proud moment, and a lovely opportunity to celebrate the work that went into this garden. The project began with a steep lakeside...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/reflections-wins-european-recognition-at-the-pro-landscaper-international-award-garden-design-news</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6acf6ffe932c18ec288d1551</guid><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 07:15:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8cb2bc_d4b524cc69cb4f53a8ebe7cfc41552b1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Getting Muddy at EARTH:BODY: Building and Sculpting with Clay]]></title><description><![CDATA[Clay workshop insights I swapped the laptop for three days of mud at EARTH:BODY—an earthen art workshop led by the brilliant Becky Gilling at Wick Farm in Somerset. The timing was perfect. I’ve got an idea bubbling away for an upcoming garden. I’m keeping the details under wraps for now, but I wanted to understand earth as a creative and construction material properly—not just through photographs and reference projects. There’s only so much you can learn from a screen. Sometimes you need to...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/earth-body-earthen-art-workshop-wick-farm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a99626bf94d6783a5867591</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:19:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://video.wixstatic.com/video/079bde_f277082744c84106bebcc33b3a6e5dff/720p/mp4/file.mp4" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["A Dead Tree Can Be as Important as a Living One"]]></title><description><![CDATA[While watching Train Dreams ( a film i love ) , one line stayed with me: “A dead tree can be as important as a living one.” It is a simple observation, but it challenges how we often think about landscapes. We tend to value trees while they are growing, flowering and producing leaves. Once a tree dies, the instinct is often to remove it immediately. It looks untidy. It feels unsafe. It appears to have lost its purpose. But in ecological terms, a dead tree may be entering one of the most...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/a-dead-tree-can-be-as-important-as-a-living-one</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a610d43424f5a9980a1ab85</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Journel]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:45:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_0242fe076c404ef8911f21f1aec28349~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_803,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Details You Don’t Always See : Materials in Garden &#38; Landscape Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[Material selection can completely change how a garden feels. Materials : why they matter Material selection can completely change how a garden feels. A material might look perfect in a photograph, but that doesn’t mean it will work on site. The colour may change when it rains. The texture may become slippery. The scale might feel wrong beside the house. It may weather beautifully — or quickly start to look tired. That is why I spend a lot of time researching, sourcing and testing materials...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/the-details-you-don-t-always-see-materials-in-garden-landscape-design</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ba215c2d1d8896c2934dc</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 17:25:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_763fc3320a1147f28b9a8152802b63eb~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beyond the Water Butt: Making Water Storage Beautiful. Harvesting in garden design does not have to mean an ugly plastic water butt hidden behind the shed.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Award winning water solutions How the European Commission’s award-winning Renewed Blooms garden turned drainage, storage and irrigation into visible design features. When people think about collecting rainwater, they often picture a large plastic water butt hidden behind a shed. But water storage does not need to be boring. It does not even need to be hidden. That was one of the central ideas behind Renewed Blooms, the garden I designed for the European Commission at Bord Bia Bloom 2025 in...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/beyond-the-water-butt-making-water-storage-beautiful-harvesting-in-garden-design-does-not-have-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a57914a437e66e2012ead51</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Insights]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:12:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_2ed7c43b092449b8b96ef4fe93117738~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Work With Charities and CICs]]></title><description><![CDATA[A big part of Studio Stour is garden design for private clients. That is my main work. But some of the most important work I do sits slightly outside that. It happens in school grounds, community gardens, allotments, therapeutic spaces and outdoor areas that need more than a tidy-up. They need care. They need purpose. They need someone to see the potential in them. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to work alongside charities and community interest companies that use gardens, nature and outdoor...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/why-i-work-with-charities-garden</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4635e93eb73efa46e62d34</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:45:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_5437aa26250a4d579745f0739d483190~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_776,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Every Garden I Design Starts in 3D]]></title><description><![CDATA[For years, I was known as The 3D Gardener. Long before Studio Stour existed, my career was built around architectural visualisation. I spent more than a decade creating photorealistic imagery for architects, developers and landscape professionals, helping bring designs to life long before construction began. Back then, working in 3D was something that set me apart. Today, things have changed. Most garden designers now offer some form of 3D visualisation. That's a positive step for the...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/why-every-garden-i-design-starts-in-3d</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3ff7e0f69fbd60c76c8b19</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Insights]]></category><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2026 16:24:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_cb7f1ffaba4d4916ae45e7876e2c5c0a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thank You to Irish Country Magazine and Leonie Cornelius]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's always an honour to see your work resonate with visitors at a show, but it's especially meaningful when it is recognised by respected voices within the gardening community. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Irish Country Magazine and award-winning garden designer, author and columnist Leonie Cornelius for including Rooted in Resilience in her recent feature highlighting some of the standout gardens from Bord Bia Bloom 2026. Designed for Multiple Myeloma Ireland, Rooted in...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/thank-you-to-irish-country-magazine-and-leonie-cornelius</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2f2bf2d1a315f3278106d6</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Journel]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 22:35:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_38f78176813947869e183e527c10342c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Back to Ireland — Building Something That Matters]]></title><description><![CDATA[In less than two months, I’ll be heading back to Ireland, Dublin to create another show garden at https://www.bordbiabloom.com/ This one means a lot. It’s for Multiple Myeloma Ireland — a charity doing incredibly important work supporting people living with multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer. Why this garden matters This isn’t just a show garden. It’s a story. A space that reflects: Diagnosis Treatment Recovery And ongoing resilience The layout gently guides visitors, but...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/back-to-ireland-building-something-that-matters</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69da8e0a8614fb4128ae954c</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Journel]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:16:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_f00918293a8e422ea56d78d1c325282f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Basement to Garden — A Circular Approach. Suffolk , Bury St Edmunds. A Courtyard in a period property]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not every project starts with a grand plan. Sometimes it begins in a basement, surrounded by old brick and years of history. As this period property moves towards the build stage, the aim has been simple — improve the garden while respecting the character of the house. Many clients feel the same pull: wanting something fresh without losing what makes their home special. A key part of the design is reusing bricks recovered directly from the basement. Instead of bringing in everything new,...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/from-basement-to-garden-a-circular-approach-suffolk-bury-st-edmunds</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69934a801154152c3b3abccd</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Insights]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2026 16:53:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_e121ffefcef245ee9ce4d8629b6fe987~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Understanding the True Value of Hiring a Garden Designer]]></title><description><![CDATA[When you hire a garden designer, it’s easy to think you’re just paying for a finished plan. A drawing. A layout. A neat document to hand to a landscaper. But that’s only the visible part. You’re actually paying for the thinking and experience that makes that plan work. You’re Not Paying for Lines on Paper or Pretty Pictures Design fees aren’t a stopwatch. They don’t reflect just how long something takes. Instead, they reflect: Skill built over years Judgment that avoids expensive mistakes...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/what-are-you-really-paying-for-in-garden-design</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698103861dce0ff3f106e03e</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 20:15:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_c321814b78da47c9a046aa362e9be7e0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding Your Element (And Why Gardens &#38; Garden Design Are Mine)]]></title><description><![CDATA[I recently watched Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk Do Schools Kill Creativity? and it struck a nerve. Here’s the link — it’s well worth watching: https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity It led me back to his book Finding Your Element, which explores a simple idea: Your Element is where what you’re good at meets what you love. That immediately made me think of my own path. School Never Felt Built for Me I struggled with maths and anything too formulaic. The subjects...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/finding-your-element-and-why-gardens-garden-design-are-mine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697cc60a23c3a829dd819831</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:09:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_a14183a2d4e7452ebfef3e40fa02adac~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inspiration from the River Stour: Why This Landscape Matters to Me and how it inspires me and my Garden Designs]]></title><description><![CDATA[The River Stour is a 47-mile river in East Anglia, flowing from Cambridgeshire through Suffolk and Essex to the sea at Harwich.  It forms much of the boundary between Suffolk and Essex and has been an important feature of this landscape for centuries. I spend a lot of time walking along the River Stour. Not once in a while. Hundreds of times. It’s where I go to clear my head.  Most of my best ideas don’t come from sitting at a desk. They come while walking those same paths, over and over...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/inspiration-from-the-river-stour-why-this-landscape-matters-to-me</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69652d4ee50f04c5814e2732</guid><category><![CDATA[Place Stories]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:06:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_1e070ddd8b0c47fbb614d0e749e12e99~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Renewed Blooms: A Sustainable Garden Design at Bord Bia Bloom]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Unique Approach to Garden Design I’m really pleased to share that Renewed Blooms, the show garden I designed for the European Commission at Bord Bia Bloom, has been featured by Kenoteq. This garden was about testing an idea rather than making a big statement. What happens if you slow things down? What if you work with what’s already there? What if you design something that feels calm and usable, not just eye-catching for a few days in June? Core Principles of the Project A few things sat at...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/renewed-blooms-working-with-kenoteq-on-circular-design</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6970e8828494d7d9d2178362</guid><category><![CDATA[Materials Matter]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:58:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_2c2f28c195234c4ebd8417d494f1eaf7~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why the Concept Stage Matters in Garden Design]]></title><description><![CDATA[Clarity at Concept Stage Concept Example This stage is about seeing things clearly. Visuals. Materials .And honest conversation. What works. Why it suits you. And just as importantly, what doesn’t. This is the moment to test ideas properly. To challenge layouts. To sit with a design and ask, does this feel right? Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes it’s a clear no. Both are valuable. That’s why I include free revisions at concept stage. It keeps the process open, collaborative, and...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/why-the-concept-stage-matters-in-garden-design</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696822dc0ef3e0e1c07f84f5</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:23:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://video.wixstatic.com/video/079bde_87d77223ccde4fa7aedf895da6f9576d/1080p/mp4/file.mp4" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Actually Love AI                      (and Why It Doesn’t Design My Gardens)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Firstly Sorry for the bad sci-fi pun. I was out on a long walk today — the place where I seem to do most of my thinking — and it struck me how much I actually enjoy using AI as a tool. It made me realise that if it disappeared tomorrow, I’d genuinely miss it. Not because it designs for me, but because it’s become part of how I think, test ideas, learn, and keep things moving when you’re working largely on your own. That thought stayed with me long after the walk ended. AI gets talked about a...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/why-i-actually-love-ai-and-why-it-doesn-t-design-my-gardens</link><guid isPermaLink="false">696523c1cbfef95ae42225d2</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:47:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_905258a06cb44e7ca09e201b8dc55254~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Returning to Bloom: Reflections on a Circular Garden — and the Story Behind It]]></title><description><![CDATA[My Circular Design Show garden recap I’m pleased to share that I’ll be returning to Bord Bio Bloom this year . As that news landed, it felt like the right moment to look back—not just at the garden itself, but at how it was made. To do that, I’ve put together a short film that walks through the key ideas behind the Renewal Garden. A Garden Explained, Not Just Shown Show gardens are often photographed, shared, and moved on from quickly. This one deserved more time. The video focuses on the...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/returning-to-bloom-reflections-on-a-circular-garden-and-the-story-behind-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69627f1790713a6305d165c6</guid><category><![CDATA[Project Insights]]></category><category><![CDATA[Project Journel]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 16:43:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_aa976811cb3a4be8b4e0c7354000585f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do I need planning permission for a garden room/Structure. An easy guide !]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do I need planning permission for a garden room? A simple UK guide (without the headache) This post came about this morning. I arrived on a new project in Suffolk to meet the client, the architect, and the estate agent. Between us, there were decades of experience. Different specialisms Different perspectives. And yet — within the first few minutes — we all paused. Not because the idea was wrong.But because the rules around garden rooms aren’t always clear. If experienced professionals can...]]></description><link>https://www.studiostour.co.uk/post/do-i-need-planning-permission-for-a-garden-room-structure-an-easy-guide</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695fb401af37afc420a2e17c</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Notes]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:10:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/079bde_687959ea0744417b8f657d7289215d8b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dave Negus</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>