So, it's out with the year of the Dog and in with the Golden Pig, which is supposed to be very lucky... and I have a wonderful feeling that this is going to be my year at last. I'm also sure that my ex-colleagues in my old office life would say golden pigs would fly before they could see me running my own successful garden design business. So, how did I get here? Well, after 16 years in the City as an accountant and project manager (yawn), I decided I should get out while I was still young and sane enough to learn a few new tricks. I tried to think 'outside-the-box' (an awful consultant-speak word, but you know what I mean) as to what I wanted out of a job. I had always been interested in design, be it interior or in the garden, and I wanted to use this artistic and creative side in my work. I also wanted the ability to work for myself, to meet people in the course of my work, and not to be stuck behind a desk all the time. Garden design seemed to tick all the boxes, so I took the massive leap and decided to re-train. I sold my house and car, left the City, and enrolled on a horticultural diploma. This was followed by a full-time diploma in Garden Design at the Inchbald School of Design for which I won the Course Director's prize.
Then after 2 years study, I managed to get a job working with Christopher Bradley-Hole, five-times gold medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how the whole creative process can work from the drawing board to the final details in a real garden. I have admired Christopher's clean and contemporary designs for years, and I was very keen to work with him. He is a master of creating spaces that are well-proportioned and comfortable to be in, and the quality of the detailing is second to none (I should know, I had to draw and re-draw many CAD drawings during my time there!).
Since the last Chinese new year I've been striving to set up my own business. It's been a struggle, and I had to make some very hard decisions, but it's all now starting to pay off. I have had a garden design accepted by the Royal Horticultural Society for this year's Chelsea Flower Show, and there is increasing awareness of my design work around London and the South East. This year, customers seem to be flocking to my door for design services, so much so I'm having to use all my project management skills to juggle my 'real' work with the Chelsea project. So I hope that this year the golden pig will bring me luck, and I can again bring home the bacon.
Linda Bush is a garden designer based in Kent.
www.lindabush.co.uk/chelsea.html
