When working within the landscaping and horticultural industries, garden design work becomes second nature. Whether you’re the designer, contractor, or supplier, the idea of domestic garden design is nothing new, but to those outside of the industry whose only insight comes from social media and TV, the process can be mind-blowing.
Manoj Malde was in the fashion industry for 18 years, but after he had climbed to the top of the ladder, he could see where the industry was heading, and it didn’t paint a pretty picture. Having always been interested in gardening and looking for a career change, his husband had already started his own business maintaining gardens and Malde felt that he had the transferrable skills to study and practice garden design.
Now providing a garden design service, Malde also works as a TV and radio presenter, as well as an accomplished author.
“We have two types of clients,” says Malde.
“High earning individuals with disposable income come to us for the full garden design service, and those that want a beautiful outdoor space but where funds do not stretch to a full garden design service, will come to us for our consultation service.”
Having set up Manoj Malde Garden Design in 2012, Malde is now the principal designer, as well as frequently starring in series such as ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’, ‘Garden of the Year’, and ‘Secrets of the Royal Gardens’.
When designing gardens for TV, like with domestic gardens, the designer still has to create a masterplan, setting out plan, planting plan and lighting plan, complete with 3D sketches.
“These then go to the VR company with as much information and images as possible so they can start developing the VR presentation,” says Malde. “At this stage there is a lot of back and forth between the VR company and the designer but ultimately, the designer guides the development of the VR.”
One of the biggest contracts however is that the timescale for filming plays a really important role and the pace of work has to be super-fast to reflect this, resulting in deadline which are really tight. “The design work is done within maximum of 5 days. The VR then takes longer,” says Malde.
“Although the development of the design work is not captured on camera, the site visit and consultation with clients are.
There is an inspiration trip that is also filmed and then of course, the whole presentation of designs and ideas to clients is filmed.”
“My favourite of all television projects has to be one that was very special to me as the couple have a son who is autistic and mute,” says Malde.
“They found it very difficult to go out for a drink or dinners with family or friends.
My remit was to create a family garden that was safe for the children, less stressful for the parents and a space where they could entertain family and friends at home. The design of the garden was literally about changing their lives and removing the stress factor.”
Whilst some TV programs do benefit the industry such as ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’, ‘Garden of the Year’ and ‘Gardener’s World’, there are others that do the industry a real injustice.
The reality is you cannot design and build a garden in £5K. If design, plants, materials and labour are provided for free, how is this realistic? With this kind of budget, the workmanship also needs to be questioned. “This was why, when I was approached about ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’, the first thing I asked the producers is are they going to be honest and are the budgets realistic,” says Malde. “Only then did I agree to be part of the program.
“Childlike drawings done with some crayons does not represent what professional designers do.”
I really enjoyed reading your article about Manoj Malde and his insights into garden design on TV. It’s fascinating to see how television can influence public perception of landscaping and design trends. Manoj’s emphasis on creating functional and aesthetic outdoor spaces resonates with the current demand for sustainable landscaping practices. I especially appreciated the examples he shared about integrating local flora to enhance biodiversity while still appealing to homeowners.
Given the rapidly changing trends in outdoor design, how do you think landscape designers can balance innovation with timelessness in their projects? Are there specific elements or techniques you believe should always be included to create a lasting impact?