dan pearson

Portrait: Emli Bendixen
Dan Pearson is a British landscape designer, horticulturalist, writer and gardener.
His work is characterised by an innate sensitivity to place, an intuitive and light-handed approach to design, bold and painterly naturalistic plantings and deep-rooted horticultural knowledge.
Dan trained in horticulture at RHS Gardens’ Wisley, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He has been practising as a landscape and garden designer since 1987.
He is a member of the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD), an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (Hon FRIBA) and a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). Since 2014 he has been a Garden Advisor to the National Trust at Sissinghurst Castle.
In 2013 Dan was the subject of an exhibition at The Garden Museum, London, Green Fuse: The Work of Dan Pearson.
Dan has designed a number of award-winning show gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show. His 2015 show garden for Chatsworth and Laurent Perrier was awarded a Gold Medal and Best Show Garden.
Dan lectures and broadcasts regularly and has written a number of books. For over 20 years he wrote a weekly newspaper gardening column, most recently for The Observer. He now writes his own weekly blog, Dig Delve.
Timeline
2018
Starts work on a second Aman resort, Aman Mangyun, in Yunnan, China
2018
Collaborates with Publica on an urban greening strategy for Lambeth Green in London
2018
Starts writing a book about the Tokachi Millennium Forest to be published in 2020 by Filbert Press
2018
Commissioned to redesign the Delos garden at Sissinghurst Castle
2018
Starts collaborating with Thomas Doxiadis on an artists' retreat on a Greek Cycladic island
2018
Commissioned to work with 6a Architects on a planted building in Melbourne, Australia
2017
Starts work on new designs for Jack Pond at Chatsworth
2017
Natural Selection: A Year in the Garden, a collection of Dan's newspaper articles for The Observer, is published
2017
Commissioned to design new plantings for Belsay Hall, Northumberland
2016
Starts work on a new masterplan vision for Dartington Hall in Devon
2015
Commissioned to work on the masterplan for a private Greek island
2015
Creates a wildflower parterre inspired by a William Morris design for ‘The Arts and Crafts House: Then and Now’, an exhibition at Compton Verney
2015
Wins competition with Wright & Wright Architects for a new library at Lambeth Palace
2015
Chatsworth Laurent Perrier Garden wins Gold Medal and Best Show Garden at Chelsea Flower Show
2015
Starts collaborating with John Pawson on a new hillside house in Merano, Italy
2014
Appointed a Garden Advisor to Sissinghurst Castle by the National Trust
2014
Starts work on a major commission at Woodside, San Francisco, with Olson Kundig Architects
2014
Starts work on the landscape design for the new extension to The Garden Museum in London
2014
Invited to work at Chatsworth by the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire
2013
Commissioned to work on a second Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in Manchester with Foster & Partners
2013
Works on the design of a new garden for potter, Edmund de Waal, and his family
2013
Appointed planting designer for the Garden Bridge designed by Thomas Heatherwick
2013
Commissioned to work on garden design for Jony and Heather Ive's San Francisco residence
2013
Green Fuse: The Work of Dan Pearson, an exhibition at The Garden Museum, London
2013
Begins working on new projects in Connecticut, San Francsico and Kauai
2012
Commissioned to work on the masterplan for a new Aman resort, Aman Yangyun, in Shanghai, China
2012
Works with Zaha Hadid Architects to seat a new residence in the forest outside Moscow, Russia
2011
Home Ground: Sanctuary in The City, a book about Dan's own garden in Peckham, London is published
2011
Commissioned by Argent to work on Handyside Gardens, the first planted space at the new King's Cross development
2010
Starts work on a landscape masterplan for Jony and Heather Ive's Hawaiian property
2011
Creates a new design for the terrace at the RIBA headquarters in London
2009
Spirit: Garden Inspiration, a book about influences on Dan's design work, is published
2006
Appointed to work on the masterplan for a Heritage Lottery fund application for Lowther Castle
2006
Elected a Tree Ambassador by The Tree Council
2006
Appointed weekly gardening columnist for The Observer
2005
Commissioned to work on the first Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in London
2005
Designs a roof terrace for the new Evelina Children's Hospital in London
2005
Starts work on the design of a new Winter Garden at Battersea Park
2005
Commissioned to work on the masterplan for Park City, Hamadayama, a new residential development in Tokyo, Japan
2004
Creates a new London garden for Sir Paul Smith and Pauline Denyer
2004
The show garden for show sponsor Merrill Lynch at the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Silver Gilt medal
2003
Appointed weekly gardening columnist for The Telegraph
2002
Invited to collaborate on a masterplan for the Tokachi Millennium Forest in Hokkaido, Japan
2001
The Garden: A Year at Home Farm, a 6 part TV series presented by Dan is broadcast on BBC 2. An accompanying book of the same name is also published
2001
Starts work on a new design for the walled garden at Broughton Hall
2000
Creates a new garden at Sir Paul Smith and Pauline Denyer's Italian residence
2000
Commissioned to design a series of roof gardens for the new Roppongi Hills development in Tokyo, Japan
1999
Works on planting designs for the Millennium Dome at Greenwich, London
1998
The Essential Garden Book, co-written with Sir Terence Conran, is published
1997
Conceives, writes and presents Dan Pearson: Routes Around the World, a TV series for Channel 4
1997
Produces a new masterplan for Althorp House following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
1996
Presents a second series of Garden Doctors
1996
A show garden created for The Evening Standard at the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Gold Medal
1995
Presents Garden Doctors, a television series for Channel 4
1995
Commissioned to design a series of new gardens at Armscote Manor, Warwickshire
1994
Appointed weekly gardening columnist for The Sunday Times
1994
A show garden created for the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Silver Gilt Medal
1993
Commissioned to produce designs for Torrecchia Vecchia, a ruined medieval village in Italy
1993
A show garden created for the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Silver Gilt Medal
1992
A show garden created for the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Silver Medal
1990
Commissions for Liz Tilberis and Jasper Conran
1989
Creates a new garden at Priscilla and Antonio Carluccio's Hampshire cottage
1989
Appointed in house garden designer at The Conran Shop
1989
Starts practising as a garden designer
1988
A one year student placement at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
1987
Frances Mossman invites Dan to create a series of experimental naturalistic gardens at Home Farm in Northamptonshire
1986
Scholarship to the Valley of Flowers, Uttar Pradesh, India
1984
Continues his studies in horticulture at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
1983
One year work placement at Edinburgh Botanic Garden, Scotland with an AGS Scholarship to Picos de Europa, Northern Spain
1981
Meets Frances Mossman and designs her first London garden
1980
Commences the study of horticulture at the RHS Garden’s Wisley
1976
Creates his first flower borders at his parents home in Hampshire, England
1964
Born in Windsor, England