ABOUT JENNY SHORT
About Jenny Short
Originally I trained as a ceramics sculptor at the West of England College of Art, which probably explains why I tend to think of gardens as gigantic pieces of ever changing sculpture, coloured and textured by an infinite variety of flower and foliage combinations. I have visited Japan twice and explored many of the famous Stroll gardens and the smaller Buddhist meditation gardens. The great use of foliage texture and the dramatic simplicity of these gardens has been a profound influence on my designs, and underpins one of my guiding principles: simplify, simplify, simplify!! I have designed 4 Japanese style gardens incollaboration with the Japanese Garden Society and Jade Pavilions.
For over twenty years I have been designing gardens in England - Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Derbyshire, Kent, Sussex and Yorkshire; also on the Isles of Scilly, in France, Belgium and Canada, - mostly for private houses, but also for some public spaces, some schools and playgroups, care homes and sheltered housing developments. I love the challenge of working on a site, however unpromising, and evolving a solution that turns a downside into a wonderful asset that can give pleasure to my clients, for years to come!
I give many talks and workshops to Horticultural societies and gardening groups, because I enjoy passing on my enthusiasm for creating attractive outdoor spaces and enhancing our environment with plants. I feel it makes amends for all the tarmac roads!
Some years I have a stand at Taunton Flower Show and the Axevale Festival- another opportunity to encourage everyone to make the most of their outdoor space! In 2008 I won the Ready Steady Garden competition with a garden designed for a very tiny courtyard, and in collaboration with Landmark Gardens I have done 4 display gardens there, one of which was awarded a silver gilt medal and 3 which were awarded a gold medal. I do occasional stained glass work and mosaics, which are often incorporated into these display gardens or into other architectural projects.