I would like to thank my clients who commissioned me to design their gardens in the first place, and without whom this book would certainly not have existed – in no particular order they are Lucy Cufflin and Ian Coleby, Rachel and Simon Perry, Ian and Eve Archer, Bev and Kev Xhevis, Nick Fox and Ana Lopez, Paul and Caroline Leech, Nick and Katrina Swift, Delianne Forget, and Pat and Gill Ashby. I’d also like to thank all those at Anova Books, most especially Emily Preece-Morrison, Anna Cheifetz (both presently on maternity leave) and the thankfully unimpregnable David Salmo!
Heartfelt thanks also to the talented and creative Rachel Warne, not only for her beautiful photography but also for her energy, enthusiasm and fun. Introduced by our mutual friend James Alexander-Sinclair (thanks to you too my darling!) who thought we might work well together on this book, we have since become firm friends, though all around us now wish that James had also included a volume control at our initial introduction.
I’d like to thank Mark and Rod Winrow of Garden House Design, and also Neil Dunster of The Garden Builders for being brilliantly skilled builders, and also great friends, and, of course, I should like to pass on my thanks to everyone in their landscaping teams, who have all been such a pleasure to work with.
I should like to send thanks to all the nurseries that have supplied such stunning plants to me over the years – Chris and Toby Marchant at Orchard Dene, Steve McIntyre at Aldingbourne Nurseries and Gordon Catlin at Manor Farm Nurseries.
I’d also like to thank my friends for patiently encouraging me to sit down and just write (especially John Anthony Conlon for his many words of wisdom!), and all the underground gardeners for, well, just being them (you know who you are).
And I’d like to thank my family, especially Alice Bundy for being my children’s perfect second-mummy-grannynanny, allowing me to keep my career going whilst not worrying about the amount of love and attention my children are receiving at home. Jules, Archie, Gilbert and I love you so very much.
And Jules Bundy, for being my right-hand man in everything I do, both at work and at home, thank you so much for your friendship, your love and your support in my career and also my life. I love you babe.
And finally to Archie for being my favourite eldest son, and to Gilbert, my favourite youngest son, who was conceived, born, and breastfed throughout the writing of this book. Thanks for being such wonderful, snugly, patient, happy children.