Sowing the seeds of discontent

The Royal Horticultural Society may be lacking a green finger or two when it comes to garden design.

David Stevens, Professor of Garden Design at Middlesex University, (presumably he occupies the Garden Chair), is weeding out the wheat from the chaff in his chosen arena, and has singled out the society as a bad seed.

He says the society gives so much emphasis to plants (hmmm, what kind?) that it neglects gardens. He even goes so far as to accuse it of being “driven by plants”. Cutting stuff.

But a snippet in The Guardian informs us that the Horticultural Society plans to make a Surrey garden “the focal point of 21st century gardening science”. Well, Surrey has to be at the frontier of something.

So is the Prof the climbing wisteria of garden design? Or is he guilty of whining hysteria? Come on, garden designers, don’t hedge your bets. Join the debate on “Whither Garden Design?”