F E AT U R E S
1. Adam White launches the new #chooselandscape campaign at the Presidents Reception held at the Garden Museum in July. © Paul Upward Photography
2. Adam White and business partner Andrée Davies welcome TV chef and one of half of the Hairy Bikers, Si King to their RHS Gold Medal winning Wild Garden. © Paul Upward Photography
It was at Groundwork that White saw the benefit of genuine community engagement during the design process – something he still values and believes should be factored into every project. After becoming Chartered in 2001, he went to London where he continued to work for Groundwork before establishing his own practice Davies White with Andree Davies. In 2007, the pair created their first RHS Gold Medal show garden, called Playscape, at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. The aim was to help reconnect children with nature through play. White says their Playscape show garden and subsequent play projects formed part of the Play England bid to the government’s ODPM (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister), which saw £235m invested in the creation of hundreds of nature play spaces across the UK.
Our profession is at the interface between natural systems, people and place.
Tackling plant blindness For the past 10 years, White’s practice has continued to create nature play spaces across the UK for the National Trust, RSPB, Forestry Commission and numerous local authorities. In 2017, 10 years on from Playscape, he and Davies were invited back to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show to create another show garden. Keen to promote the value of therapeutic landscapes to a much wider audience, they created the Zoflora and Caudwell Children’s Wild Garden – winning an RHS Gold Medal, RHS People’s Choice Award and RHS Best in Show. White says: ‘Our profession is at the interface between natural systems, people and place – it is what makes us different from many other professions. We are therefore perfectly positioned to help tackle two issues that remain close to my heart: plant blindness and
nature deficit disorder. I would like to see an increased awareness and understanding of these issues. As a profession, we need to do more to celebrate the crucial role horticulture plays in creating healthy landscapes and places.’
Working with the LI In 2012, White was made a Fellow of the Landscape Institute for his work promoting accessible and inclusive playful landscapes. He has always been a keen supporter of the Landscape Institute. He has co-hosted the LI annual awards for the past four years and represents the LI on the government’s Play Policy Forum. He is also a member of the Garden Media Guild and writes a monthly column on landscape for Pro Landscaper Magazine. By his own admission, White comes to the LI from the outside. While he’s always been a huge supporter, he hasn’t followed the typical route – sitting on various committees, working his way up to chair, and eventually running for President. ‘I’m the son of a market trader from Warrington who started off laying hedges and building dry-stone walls before going to university,’ he says. ‘People have said the profession needs someone like me with my vibrancy and energy. I see the Presidency as a great opportunity to use my skills to promote the profession during its 90th year to a younger audience, bridging the gap between related professions and celebrating the work of our members – be that landscape design, science, management or planning.’ White believes that the landscape profession’s time has come: ‘We can help communities with real solutions to the tackle the challenges of our time, whether that’s impacts from climate change, loss of biodiversity, pressures from urbanisation, ageing populations or improving health and wellbeing – and these needs are growing around the world.’
Stronger together 2
It’s no secret that White would like to see the landscape industry work more closely together, share best practice 45