The Garden Network is a wonderful place for meeting people that share your passion for gardening. There is a wide mix of people from around the country with widely different skills and interests but all with a common passion. Meeting people is great and it becomes hugely rewarding both for the individuals and for me as owner of TGN. Seeing these relationships develop makes me realise just how important a role this network plays in bringing people together for mutual benefit.

Recently I have been notified of a number of working associations that have grown as a direct result of membership of TGN.
 
These range from mentoring activities between fellow garden designers, where designers with many years experience are helping those who are relatively new to garden design, to project collaboration, where landscapers are pooling their resources to help meet tight deadlines and keep clients happy. There have also been examples of skill sharing between designers and landscapers, in order to achieve better results on larger scale projects. And finally but by no means least, opportunities derived directly as a result of our sponsorship by NFU Mutual.

Stories like these are becoming commonplace amongst active members of The Garden Network. I include myself in this as I am currently collaborating with a company on a large project where specialist skills are required beyond my personal level of experience. I have also been able to refer landscapers to help both clients and other garden designers.

Such associations and collaborations seem to work well for all involved not least the end client. It is gratifying to hear that we can work successfully together, all make some money, and satisfy customer needs.

Friendships developed on TGN also benefit homeowners and garden beginners with help being offered for solving garden questions and problems. The Garden Network provides a friendly environment where we can share our interest and continue learning about our outdoor world.

There are also opportunities to meet up with fellow enthusiasts at shows and for garden visits.

So make the most of this fabulous resource – see who you can help and in return don’t be shy about asking for help – there is a growing membership all willing to come to your assistance.

Happy networking

Tim