Catherine Clancy, Catherine Clancy Garden = Design

Catherine Clancy, Owner of Catherine Clancy Garden Design = Business,=20 works on garden design and build of residential and small community = gardens, and=20 provides garden advice and some maintenance work =E2=80=93 particularly = for gardens=20 built by her business. Catherine has built up her business following her = experience on Diarmuid Gavin=E2=80=99s =E2=80=98Garden School=E2=80=99 = programme. She does the garden=20 design, any planting required, some of the maintenance, and works with a = number=20 of local partners on building the gardens.

Catherine=E2=80=99s new career direction has been planned for = a while, as she=20 has enjoyed growing plants since she was 11 years old =E2=80=93 growing = Helichrysums=20 bracteatum (everlasting flower) and tropical plants from seed. She = furthered her=20 interest by taking part in evening classes, designing and building her = own=20 garden, through growing fruit and vegetables on her allotment and = through=20 designing her friends=E2=80=99 gardens.

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Says Catherine: =E2=80=9CI eventually decided I had enough of working = in an office=20 and it was time to pursue my dream.=E2=80=9D

Training has played = an important=20 part in Catherine=E2=80=99s life. =E2=80=9CIn my previous career as an = IT Project Manager, I=20 received a lot of management, planning and financial training, which has = been=20 invaluable to setting up my business,=E2=80=9D she says. =E2=80=9CTo = increase my horticultural=20 knowledge, I have trained with the RHS (general horticulture), English = School of=20 Gardening (design), C&G (general horticulture), KLC (Design), and = the BBC=20 Diarmuid Gavin Garden School (bit of everything). This training has been = invaluable in giving me a firm foundation to work from. The RHS courses = are=20 excellent for general horticulture. I believe that the RHS course, with=20 practical application was the most effective part of my learning, = alongside=20 extensive project work.

"Completing a course at any of the horticultural colleges around the = country=20 is a fantastic start to your career"

=E2=80=9CPractical experience is also vital to be able to build = gardens properly. A=20 course in garden design will teach to you draw, and think, but you need = to=20 follow up by reading, researching, practicing, looking at other gardens, = learning from the great gardeners of our time and looking at garden = history. I=20 firmly believe that you need to be a gardener before you can design and = build=20 gardens; hence you must combine practical horticulture with your design=20 training. A combination of practical and theory work is very effective, = as is=20 having a mentor to bounce ideas off when you get stuck.=E2=80=9D =

Dedicated to=20 her work, Catherine even found ways to train in her desired profession = whilst in=20 full-time employment =E2=80=9CThe way I did my training did fit in = with my working=20 life, as I did most of it in evening and Saturday classes, which took = years, but=20 enabled me to work and earn a living at the same time. My five months at = Garden=20 School was full-time, which gave me the push to break away from full = time IT=20 employment and move into garden design and gardening = full-time.=E2=80=9D

Whilst=20 Catherine has been successful in her own career, does she have any = advice for=20 others? =E2=80=9CWell completing a course such as Diploma in Practical = Horticulture at=20 the RHS gardens in Wisley or Kew or any of the other horticultural = colleges=20 around the country is a fantastic start to your career. This should be = followed=20 up with a specialised garden design course and some further practical=20 experience. In order to have a successful garden design business, I = think it is=20 really important to have good people skills. You have to listen to your = client=20 and understand their requirements; a lot of your future work will come = from=20 recommendations. Practical knowledge is a must too =E2=80=93 so that you = know before you=20 start what will and won=E2=80=99t work.

=E2=80=9CThe best thing = you can do is get=20 training alongside practical experience. Learn from others and = find good=20 partners to work alongside, whose skills are complementary to = yours.=E2=80=9D

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Lantra registered office: Lantra House, Stoneleigh = Park,=20 Coventry, Warwickshire, CV8 2LG
Registered no: 2823181 Charity no: = 1022991=20

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