About

The Name

The Rose stands for the freshness of spring, blooming, beginning, and new growth. The Dragon stands for the scorching heat of the Mediterranean summer, retreat and dormancy. Grow and retreat. Two elements of life in a garden.

I think a garden should submerge you, tell you a story, take you away, out of your daily stress and offer you a bit of the calming soothing of nature.

My Style

In general, my gardens try to be close to the concept of a natural environment in the setting of a garden. Sure, there will be bold & straight lines but the planting will have a more natural look. The focus is on the green structure. My gardens are clearly constructed, but they feel natural. The garden will be in harmony with what is already there. Melt into it, connect to the landscape around it. This creates a feel of balance and harmony and makes the garden appear larger.

Preferably I like to work with plants that are well adapted to the area the garden is in, that way reducing the risk of diseases and minimising the amount of extra care or watering needed.

But above all I want to share my profound love for and joy of nature and I want to give you a little bit of the amazing beauty and complexity of nature by creating you a garden. Because I can. And because I think deep down every human feels his or her connection to nature.

Essential is the concept of change. A garden is nature. It is alive, it grows and changes. It makes no sense to try to maintain that one rosebush at all costs, where it was conceived in the original design. Roses grow old and get sick. The plants around them have grown bigger, the garden has changed. Other parts now require more attention. The focus in the garden has changed.

A garden must be able to develop. I don’t design gardens that are ready at once. But that doesn’t mean a garden won’t be interesting from the start. A garden grows through different stages and each stage has its own character. In a young garden the accent is on the horizontal structure and perennials and growth. In an older garden the accent lies in light and shade, spaces, the vertical structure and texture of trees and shrubs. A young garden has a different energy than an older garden.

About Me

I am Dutch, since January 2020 living and working in the south of France.

Growing up behind the dunes in the southwest of the Netherlands, always outside, with my brothers exploring the forest and dunes, with both parents who loved gardening, I developed a deep connection with nature. For some reason I ended up with a business degree in Public Administration, but after only a few years working in the corporate world I went back to school and became a fully trained horticulturist/landscaper. After that I got my planting design diploma from the London College of Garden Design. I have 20 professional years of experience in horticulture, creating gardens, garden maintenance, and heading maintenance teams. I have worked for private landscape companies, the city of The Hague, the city of Rotterdam and for my own private clients.

The love for the Mediterranean landscape, its plants, climate and a bit of adventure brought me here end of 2019.

For more info see my Linkedin profile and my Instagram.