Take it outside!

The winner of the competition will scoop a prize with a value of up to €2,000. This includes the drawing up of a design and project management of the garden construction by Jason, who is also lead designer with celebrity garden designer Diarmuid Gavin. Jason is a man with a vision. "I guarantee the winner something like nobody else's garden! That's the good thing about working with Diarmuid Gavin. You do things that you wouldn't see anywhere else and that no-one else would even dream up or dare to do. "Ultimately this could be a lot of work for me but as a one off I think it'd be well worth it... I'm picturing the finished garden with people drinking champagne and all saying 'wow, what a wonderful garden you now have!'," says the garden designer. Jason is a native of Cumbria in England's Lake District, with parents from Co. Fermanagh. His move to Cavan a couple of years ago was led by his employer, Diarmuid Gavin of I Want A Garden television show. Diarmuid opened an office in Dublin where Jason has been office manager and lead designer since August 2008. Now Jason works part-time from home in Cavan and part-time from Diarmuid's Dublin office. He also works for himself, with his own business called Outerspace Gardens, and is keen to do garden designs locally in his free time. When designing somebody else's garden, one of the most important things is to listen and Jason will want to know what you want and need from your outer space. "A lot people will tell you what they want without even realising it... You can pick up a lot even by walking through a person's house. I think it's important that there's a connection between the interior of the house and what's happening outside." As well as aesthetics, functionality and safety are key considerations in garden design, and he is keenly aware that who will be using the garden is the top priority when making any decisions about it. "It's important to assess what people do in their gardens," he says, listing essential items like bins and washing lines, which, typically, have to be allowed for in any garden. "If kids are going to be using the garden, it has to be safe and child-friendly. And kids like to have a space they can run around in." Jason is keen to get started on designing the prize-winning garden. Here's why he's passionate about gardening: "I really enjoy plants and like seeing how plants and gardens change throughout the year. There's something spiritual about gardening. It's about nature and nurturing things. It can be therapeutic, because it helps you detach from everything else, but for me, it's always been an opportunity to show off a bit, to do things a bit differently and a bit better." See this week's issue of The Anglo-Celt for full details of how to enter the competition.