Industry profile

‘Landscaper and horticulturalist Jack Etheridge set up his firm, Auburn Gardens, following his return to Guernsey in 2014. Since then, he’s seen the demand for garden design and maintenance flourish in the island. He told us about his experience in the industry.

For Jack Etheridge, gardening was in his blood. Despite initially studying art and design, he quickly decided to channel that creativity into the outside world.

“I was brought up with gardening as a major influence in my life – my grandfather was a gardener and both my parents are keen gardeners so it felt very natural to follow that path. My father initially suggested the idea to me while I was still considering a career as an artist, and after that conversation I enrolled on a horticultural garden designer course that very evening.”

Studying at a specialist college in London, Capel Manor College, Jack was exposed to a wide range of high-quality work, especially when he started working in the industry alongside his studies.

“After the first year of studying, I was offered a job with a very skilled landscaper working in Kensington and Chelsea so I worked alongside my course for the second and third years. It was very high-quality work in tricky central London townhouse gardens, and I learned a huge amount from that time.”

After working in London on his own contracts for a period, Jack decided to leave the city traffic behind and relocate home to Guernsey. It was a decision he’s never regretted.

“I started Auburn Gardens here in 2014, mainly focused on garden maintenance. The company got a good reputation very quickly and the business blossomed from there. We now offer a complete service, with garden design as well as follow-up garden maintenance. The demand has meant that we have had to expand since we started, and there are now two teams of gardeners available for our clients.”

While Jack certainly looks back with pride at the work he was involved with in London, he is adamant that Guernsey offers just as many opportunities for creativity and thoughtful garden design.

“Guernsey is a fantastic place to do what we do, both because of the choice of plants we can use and the backdrops we are often working with. To me, being able to craft landscapes within beautiful landscapes is just a joy. But I don’t think you necessarily need a stunning backdrop to create a successful garden. I’m a real fan of townhouse gardens, so we create a lot of courtyard gardens which take advantage of the beautiful old Guernsey granite walls.”

While gardening is often about creating something new, Jack says it’s also important to recognise and appreciate the context of the space he is working with.

“I always want to work with the history of a property or area and utilise the architecture that is already there. When I have finished projects in the past, I have had clients tell me that it looks like it has always been there. If they say that, then I know I have been successful. For me, it’s about working with the landscape and never leaving a scar on it when we’re finished.”

Like many who work outdoors, Jack is passionate about protecting the environment and minimising the impact of his business while ensuring his designs have the maximum effect.

“We are very conscious of our environmental impact. We use as many locally sourced and locally made products as we can, and work alongside the tree surgeons to mill local wood. When we find materials at sites, we respect their history and try to reuse them as much as possible, which also often ends up adding interest to the eventual design.” That design is hugely important to Jack, who says it should be something that’s considered by everyone when it comes to their properties.

“We’re passionate about design so that’s always going to feed into the kind of gardens we produce. When people are developing properties, we want the garden to be given just as much importance. A garden is a growing thing, which will evolve and develop and in our designs we always want to plan for many years to come.

“We always involve the clients in the design and ask for their tastes and preferences, although it obviously depends on them how involved they want to be. Some clients have very little input at all and trust us with the process; while others have a real interest and are out every hour speaking to us about the work and what we’re doing. The influence we unsurprisingly hear the most often when speaking to clients is a demand for a ‘coastal’ garden, and it’s often an obvious starting point in Guernsey. But a garden doesn’t stand alone – it is part of a property and its surroundings, so we consider the look and feel of the whole area. I think a lot of it can be done on instinct, simply knowing what will work.”

As well as the garden design and initial installation, Jack offers a maintenance service for the spaces Auburn Gardens has created. For him, the industry offers a huge range of opportunities for variety and job satisfaction – and it’s something he wishes more people were aware of.

“A landscaper truly is multi-skilled. In one day we could be doing everything from planting to carpentry, stonework, drainage and operating heavy machinery. I think people don’t realise how interesting and varied it is as a career. I’d really love to see more exposure for the industry from an educational standpoint – I think if people realised the opportunities on offer they

The description ‘landscaper’ can cover a host of roles. Jack refers to himself as a ‘horticulturalist’, while other job descriptions in the sector can include ‘landscape designer’ and ‘landscape architect’ for those working at more of a planning level, and ‘landscape gardener’ for those on site. Overall, the roles involve everything from planning outside spaces and sourcing the required plants and materials to physically planting and building the spaces.

A love of the outdoors and plants is fairly key to work in the industry, but there are plenty of other skills that are also very important. Landscapers need to combine creativity with good attention to detail. A good level of physical fitness and strength is also generally a requisite to be successful in the role. The client facing nature means that communication skills are often required as well to liaise with customers regarding the design and understanding their needs and expectations.

There are no qualifications that are absolutely required to be a landscape gardener; however, there are formal qualifications that can be undertaken in horticulture and landscape design (such as Jack’s studies at Capel Manor College). Learning on the job is also crucial though, with experience often as important as any qualifications.

might be more interested in pursuing it. Horticulture should be on the curriculum and given as much importance as some of the other core subjects.”

“Guernsey has such a strong horticultural history, and there have been some great horticultural minds here in the past. I’d really love to see that flourish again – imagine driving round the island and seeing all the derelict old greenhouses full of plants and thriving again.”