Garden Designer Chris Barnes has worked in horticulture for over 20 years and has been designing gardens for much of that time. She has designed show gardens and award-winning gardens at Afton Park, which were featured in Gardens Illustrated and Country Living. As a designer she has many successful garden design projects to her name. Chris has appeared on the 'Gardener's Question Time' panel at the Osborne Flower Show and gives talks and lectures on various aspects of gardening, planting and plants.
Being based on the Isle of Wight she has a wealth of experience of Island gardens - both coastal and rural. This coupled with a flair for design, colour and form has resulted in many local gardens, large and small, benefiting from her expertise. Her expert knowledge of local plants and climatic conditions is an invaluable asset in an area where the sea is never far away.
She has travelled to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Bali, Israel, France and Italy in search of plants, planting combinations and inspiration. However she also values many of the traditional English planting styles which are often reflected in her designs and planting plans.
With 10 years practical horticultural experience in the family business Joe specialises in the delivery of design projects, turning Chris' ideas and plans into reality. Joe's skillset includes:
Joe likes to use locally sourced materials wherever possible with an emphasis on sustainable and recycled products.
For more information see the Management section
If you would like to see more of Chris' own garden and stay in the heart of the West Wight, the Studio Apartment is set in the grounds of Chris' home at Freshwater and is available for rent.
Read more here or go to the Self Catering Isle of Wight website.