Oliver Rutman
Oliver runs a small award-winning studio undertaking work in London and across the UK. We believe that plants are key in creating atmosphere in gardens. Our horticultural expertise allows us to design imaginative planting schemes that ensure there is year round interest in every garden.
Awards include:
People’s Choice Award for the Exotic Border at Belvoir Flower and Garden Festival and Pro landscaper 30 under 30.
Current projects include:
City gardens in Cambridge, Oxford, Brighton and London.
Rural projects around Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Cotsworlds.
Garden for the staff at the Royal Free Hospital.
Instagram: oliver_rutman
Facebook – m.facebook.com/oliverrutmangardendesign/
Biography:
Oliver has always loved the natural environment. He started his career in horticulture at the internationally renowned Great Dixter House and Gardens in East Sussex. Here Oliver developed his understanding of succession planting, garden management and the importance of biodiversity. Known for its imaginative planting and experimental combinations, Dixter has inspired Oliver’s interest in unusual plants and creative combinations.
Oliver studied Garden Design at London College of Garden Design based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Shortly after graduating Oliver designed and built a show border at The Belvoir Flower and Garden Festival which was awarded ‘People’s Choice Award’.
Oliver has assisted MSGD and RHS Award winning designers on their projects and Chelsea Show gardens. Experiencing the exceptional detail involved in the design, planting and hard landscaping has given him an excellent eye in his own designs.
Keen to continue learning, Oliver has attended symposiums at Beth Chatto’s Garden (Essex), Parham House (Sussex) and Bergamo (Italy). Oliver has travelled widely looking at landscapes and the flora they contain. His most recent trip has been to the cloud forests of Peru,.
Video Biography below is taken from the London Collage of Garden Design #intheirgarden series filmed during lockdown.
The garden visuals below are for a garden we have designed in the Kent countryside. The garden wis a blank lawn that slopes away from the house currently. Through using the houses geometry we have enable the garden to be split into six different rooms, some of these rooms have key functions for dining and entertaining while others create vistas across the garden and connect with the landscape beyond.
The build process has started with landscaping the front of the property (not shown) and then will move to creating the rooms at the back by May. Due to the project being staged we envisage this garden being completed in October 2022 with planning then starting on the other half of the garden in order to complete the entire scheme by 2024.
Images below illustrate four of the six rooms. The rooms include, west facing cantilevered deck to watch the sun set, main entertaining courtyard with views over the meadow, west courtyard for a covered dining area and a cut flower garden featuring a Alitex greenhouse.
This garden is at a new build property in Cambridge. The client wanted a brand new garden room to use as a home office / gym that captured the best views down the garden. A large entertaining terrace has also been created that leads off the kitchen perfect for dining in the summer months. A large border with trees, shrubs and perennials has been proposed to cover the boundary and also gives privacy from neighbours.
Finally off the master bedroom a new pair of double doors will be installed that leads onto a new shady courtyard.
Build starting Summer 2021
This garden was designed for a couple who were moving to London from Liverpool. They are both keen gardeners who enjoy pottering in the garden. At the centre of the design in a seating area with a cantilevered bench so they can sit and enjoy the garden.
Professional photographs are being taken in May!
The LCGD ran a competition to design a 2.4m x 2.4m raised bed for the Belvoir Castle Flower and Garden festival. My design was chosen by the judges, Jo Thompson and Andrew Fisher Tomlin.
At the show my border was given the ‘Peoples Choice’ award.
The theory behind the border:
The border represents part of a larger south facing border in an urban garden. It is designed for clients that like to travel and want this summer border to reflect their interest. They have a small greenhouse to overwinter some of the more tender plants.
Inspired by the Exotic Garden at Great Dixter, this border combines exotic and unusual plants. The diverse range of plants show how exotic foliage can be incorporated into a British summertime border.
