COVID-19 has swept the world by storm and disrupted individuals, communities and industries, some in a devastating way. As a Garden Designer based in the South East and current Chair of the Society of Garden Designers (the professional body representing the garden design industry), I have been asked to comment on how it has influenced clients’ habits and behaviours both during and immediately after lockdown.

Garden design has often been portrayed as a luxury item, with initial fears that all work would disappear during an inevitable economic downturn, but never has there been a time that has so clearly demonstrated that play, exercise, clean air, fresh food, seasonal rhythms and natural beauty are essential for making sense of life and can be delivered most successfully by skilled professionals.

There has been a renewed public awakening and appreciation of local landscapes, parks and the sanctuary of the private garden. All share a common bond of lifestyles disrupted, seriously ill loved ones, homeschooling and often economic concerns. For many of our clients, the home and garden have, overnight, become the new office, gym, school playground, restaurant and socialising space.

Initially, and with no time to prepare, lockdown meant that garden designers and landscape contractors had to adapt rapidly to the change of rules governing safe site procedures. Work on the garden for those clients already converted to the value of a well-designed outdoor space, either stopped mid-flow or carried on in a very limited way. Working outside has its advantages as this was deemed to be a safer environment for social distancing – a blessing, considering the appalling floods this winter had already left many projects delayed, particularly planting.

Rather than being met with an angry response from clients over the inevitable delays in materials and implementation, there has been a heartening generosity of spirit. The clients, too, are developing their home-grown skills and delighting in ‘having a go’ themselves.

My clients in Appledore, Kent, would normally have been at work during the construction phase, but instead now share the kitchen table together, working from home. The slowly emerging garden project has been an eye-opener to them, and they have got thoroughly involved as a family doing what they could to progress the project: clearing the ground, sourcing scarce materials, weeding and watering and now are having a stab at laying a new brick path. They said this kept them going; something to look forward to, outdoor exercise and a real sense of practical purpose. Being around more to see the emergence of the trees, blossoms, flowers and wildlife, they have become not only passionate about the transformation of the garden but also engaged with the process in a far more personal way than would otherwise have been the case. This new and exciting connection with the garden will no doubt put them in good stead to nurture it to maturity.

Vegetable gardening has definitely been high on the list of favourite occupations by clients during lockdown, the seasonal timing perfect, and a marvellous practical activity to enhance science lessons for children at home and for the parents to learn too! What with the alarming initial food shortages in supermarkets, vegetable growing has helped a lot of people cope with the uncertainty of the pandemic. Online vegetable seed sales have soared. The fundamental wellbeing triggered by working with the soil and seeing something useful magically appear from a tiny seed, and then to top it all; be more delicious than any overly packaged supermarket vegetable will remain with many people once COVID-19 has finally disappeared. We will see a sharper increase in the trend to combine edibles with ornamentals in the garden.

A client of mine in Herne Bay, whose small rear garden was completed last year and has been on her own during lockdown said: “I think that I have become more aware during lockdown of growing veg organically and particularly avoiding wastage. I only pick the fresh produce that I want to eat that day, rather than throw-away, family-sized packs of supermarket food that are often wasted in my case.”

In cities, access to a garden or public space has been a lifeline for mental and physical wellbeing for many people. One of my clients who lives in a seventh-floor flat near Tower Bridge, London, stated to me during a regular video call that the roof terrace had meant everything whilst recovering from COVID-19 symptoms. We have had regular virtual consultations on how to plant and nurture the pots. The beam on my client’s face as she ducked under a badminton net precariously strung across the width of the terrace, and the intense concentration as I explained the individual needs of plants were reward enough for all the logistical complications.

So what will change after the pandemic? My guess is that garden design work will still be there in abundance doing what it has always done, working closely with the client to ensure their practical, spiritual and lifestyle needs are met in a beautiful way. Clients will become more involved with that process, and projects will be more successful and sustainable as a result.