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AFTER WHAT SEEMS like forever, Spring has finally sprung in the garden and now is a great time to start planning your summer planting. Here we speak to Leitrim-based garden designer Leonie Cornelius about the therapeutic benefits of gardening and her own practice as she looks ahead to this year’s Bord Bia Bloom festival.
There are various aspects to what you do. Can you explain the various strands of your business/ practice?
My main design practice is creating spaces which connect the inside and outside and that connect the user to the power of the wild. I also love to write and often contribute to magazines and newspapers. Putting thoughts down on paper is such a valuable way of trying to make sense of the world around us. My work as a garden designer also sees me doing the odd bit of television work and creating show gardens which is something I love.
When did you know you were passionate about plants and gardening and wanted to make it a career?
I’ve always loved plants and flowers. As far back as I can remember I was surrounded by gardens and plants – both in Greece where I lived as a child and Germany where I grew up. I think I only realised that I wanted to make a career out of it when I had my son who is now 18 and I decided to combine my architecture with garden design.
How have you evolved as a gardener over the past few years?
The biggest thing that I’ve realised over the years is that creating a garden is so much more than creating a physical space – it’s where lives can unfold. Immersing yourself in nature is the best antidote to modern overwhelm.
What has been the most challenging time in business for you and what did you learn from that experience?
My biggest challenge has been wearing lots of different hats as a business person and creative. There was a time a few years ago when I experienced burnout and it’s been a journey to getting back to feeling like me again.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I think the most obvious start is looking at how nature grows particularly when it comes to planting. When it comes to architecture, structures or art collaborations, however, it can be absolutely anything. Most of the time I am inspired by feelings and emotional needs which I try to answer through texture, tonality and links to design theory. When you start to look at different practices like art and architecture, or even music, you can see overlaps in the underlying alchemy.
Describe your work environment.
Most days I work from my home office which has a big desk at a window which overlooks a lake. It has a south-facing view and I love working there because the light patterns on the lake change throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.
What did you do before this?
When I left school I was convinced that I was going to become a singer. I even recorded an album in London with a studio and a couple of albums here in Ireland. I think most of all I love the creative aspect of producing music and recording it.
Describe a typical working day.
I tend to get up early at about 5:30am and make a big plan for the day. After school drop I’ll generally work from home unless I’m doing a show garden. There’s always a million emails for all my different projects and I have a huge cork notice board for mapping it all out. At lunchtime I take a walk in the forest and generally have a messy salad from the poly tunnel. After work, evenings are for chilling, swimming or going to the sauna.
How important is teamwork and collaboration to what you do or do you mostly work alone?
IIt is everything. Even though, in theory, I work alone, everything I do is a collaboration. Whether it is a collaboration with clients, with my contractor Paul or on show gardens, without collaboration a garden space would just be an idea.
Is sustainability important to your business?
Absolutely. To me, gardens are such a unique opportunity to link together everything that is so needed in the world we live in right now. When we think about circular economies, sustainability, biodiversity – even our tech burnout and modern overwhelm – gardens are the connecting factor where we find inspiration across the board. They literally offer the solutions to these issues.
Are trends a big thing in garden design and if so what trends are you seeing come to the fore?
I don’t really look much at trends in terms of colour or things like that, but I think what is much more powerful is to look at where we are as humanity globally. What is it that we need right now and how can gardens offer solutions for that deeper human need? I think, right now, so many of us are in need of a gentle and slow approach. Spaces that feel safe and nourishing and hopeful where our nervous systems can regulate. Trends come and go. What I try to do is to create something which is timeless – a space based around the client’s lifestyle and psychological needs. A space which can grow with them over time.
If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?
Growing herbs in the heat somewhere for my own perfumes or meditating on the beach in Rio.
What has been your proudest moment/ favourite project so far?
From a professional perspective, taking some time out and coming back to my practice in a much more intentional way has brought me much happiness. Coming back to Bord Bia Bloom last year was the first time that I truly enjoyed the journey and I had the most incredible team of supportive people to work with. That made me proud.
Now is a great time for people to start planning their summer gardens – any tips or any new plants that you have your eye on this Spring?
It’s such an exciting time of year in the garden. I think that the best advice I can give readers is to dive a bit deeper into the vision of their future garden space. Ask yourself things like: Do I want the garden to nourish me? How do I want it to make me feel? What are the colours, textures and plants which make me feel joyful? When you create a vision for yourself which ignites your passion, you have the best starting point for creating a space that’s really meaningful and connected to the wild.
You can meet Leonie Cornelius at the Bord Bia Bloom festival this year where she is creating a show garden with Caragh Nurseries and will be hosting conversations centred on the topic of ‘Wellbeing through Wild’ as the key speaker at the Zarbee’s Garden Stage. www.bordbiabloom.com You can find details on upcoming courses and projects on her websit www.leoniecornelius.com and on Instagram @leonie.cornelius.
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