Meet John Hall
John Hall holds a Master's Degree in Horticulture from the University of Reading in the UK, studied Landscape Architecture at the University of Central England and Garden Design at the Oxford college of Garden Design based at Wolfson College Oxford.
Based for many years in Highgate, North London, he has designed and built many prestigious gardens over the years and his work has won many awards including from the BBC and The Royal Horticultural Society. This work has been featured in numerous books and magazines and several television programs. Both in the UK and internationally.
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John moved to southwest France in 2002 to work on a long-term project to create a new ten-acre landscape around a 15 C Chateau in the Dordogne valley and then in 2005 moved to New England.
John now lives atop a mountain ridge in southern Vermont with his beloved dog Samba and continues to offer landscape design and project management services throughout the region.
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About John Hall
Now in Vermont... John Hall holds a Master's Degree in Horticulture from the University of Reading in the UK, studied Landscape Architecture at the University of Central England and Garden Design at the Oxford college of Garden Design based at Wolfson College Oxford.
How I work
My method
Over many years of working with clients I have developed a very consultative process designed to avoid misunderstandings or unpleasant surprises on the journey to developing the garden or landscape that my clients really want. This breaks down into stages:
1. INITIAL CONSULTATION AND ANALYSIS OF BRIEF
I usually meet clients at their property, if possible, at least for the first visit (although subsequent meetings can be online) to discuss their wishes and make a preliminary assessment of the property. After this meeting, I write back to clients with an ‘Analysis of Brief’ which is simply a point-by-point list of what I think clients said they wanted, my initial thoughts as to what might be achieved, and an estimate of the costs involved in the design fees and a very broad idea of what construction might cost or, if given a budget, what might be achieved within that.
2. SITE SURVEY AND PREPARATION OF BASE SHEET
The Base Sheet is a plan of the site as existing showings the location of all structures, ground levels, areas of existing planting, paving, decks, ponds etc. This may be prepared from an existing plan of the property, ideally in digital format if one exists, or from measurements taken on-site or as is most usual, a combination of both.
This is the starting point for the design process.
3. PREPARATION OF OUTLINE PLAN
The Outline Plan is a discussion document. It shows my initial attempt at a design solution, showing all new structures, areas of planting, lawns, driveways etc. Where several options are possible, they are presented for discussion, selection by the clients and inclusion in the plan.
The outline plan usually goes through several versions which are revised in close consultation with clients until the final plan, the Master Plan is developed.
4. MASTERPLAN AND PLANTING PLAN
The Masterplan shows the garden or landscape as to be constructed, all areas of paving, planting, driveways, garden structures, features and planting are specified and this is accompanied, where necessary, by drawings of any details necessary for construction/pricing. It represents the project as agreed with the clients to be constructed and forms the basis for costing and competitive bidding by contractors if necessary. This is accompanied by the Planting Plan (and Plant List) which sets out the position. number, size and species of all plants involved in the project
5.PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The plans are not the end of the process they are the means to the end, the finished garden or landscape. Once the planning stage is complete, I can go on to manage the construction of the project and subsequent planting. This usually involves the recruitment and on-site management of sub-contractors for construction and site preparation and then the supply, layout and planting.