dan pearson OBE | FSGD | Hon FRIBA | RDI

dan pearson OBE | FSGD | Hon FRIBA | RDI

Portrait: Emli Bendixen

Dan Pearson is a British landscape designer, horticulturalist, gardener and writer.

 

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 Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers (FSGD), 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.

 

In 2022 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.

Timeline

2022

Awarded the Beatrix Farrand Society Achievement Award


2022

Landscape for a new Maggie's Cancer Care Centre in Bristol with MUMA


2022

Awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours


2021

Landscape for a new pavilion at the Garden Museum with Mary Duggan Architects


2021

An online course in Naturalistic Garden Design for Create Academy


2021

Landscape masterplan for Blantyre, a historic property and hotel in the Berkshires, USA with Michael Imber Architects and Ken Fulk


2021

Masterplan for an historic family property in Wales


2021

A Oxfordshire garden for an actor and an interior designer


2021

A London garden for a fashion designer with David Kohn Architects


2021

An Arts & Crafts house in London with William Smalley Architects


2021

A London garden for an artist with Takeshi Hayatsu Architects


2021

Landscape for the first Liberty Woodland School in London


2020

An equestrian estate in Connecticut with Olson Kundig Architects


2020

A 65 hectare estate and winery in Tuscany with StudioIlse and Ben Thompson


2020

A new housing development for the Dartington Estate with Rogers Stirk Harbour


2020

Rewilding project on a 400 acre estate in Hampshire with Adam Architects


2020

Tokachi Millennium Forest: Pioneering a New Way of Gardening with Nature published by Filbert Press


2019

Appointed by The Wellcome Trust for the Pelham Street site with 6a Architects


2019

A temporary planting installation in Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross for Argent


2019

A new rural house in the Highlands of Scotland with Loader Monteith Architects


2019

Masterplan and garden design for an historic Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll property in East Sussex


2018

A second Aman resort, Aman Mangyun, in Yunnan, China


2018

Collaborates with Publica on an urban greening strategy for Lambeth Green in London


2018

Redesign of the Delos garden at Sissinghurst


2018

Collaboration with Thomas Doxiadis on an artists' retreat on a Cycladic island, Greece


2018

A planted high rise building in Melbourne, Australia with 6a Architects


2017

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

New plantings for Belsay Hall, Northumberland


2016

A new masterplan vision for Dartington Hall in Devon


2015

A masterplan for a private Greek island


2015

A wildflower parterre inspired by a William Morris design for ‘The Arts and Crafts House: Then and Now’, an exhibition at Compton Verney


2015

A new library at Lambeth Palace with Wright & Wright Architects


2015

Chatsworth Laurent Perrier Garden wins Gold Medal and Best Show Garden at Chelsea Flower Show


2015

A new hillside house in Merano, Italy designed by John Pawson


2014

Gardens for photographer, Juergen Teller's, new studio designed by 6a Architects


2014

Appointed a Garden Advisor to Sissinghurst Castle by the National Trust


2014

A major residential commission at Woodside, San Francisco with Olson Kundig Architects


2014

Landscape design for the new extension to The Garden Museum, London


2014

The Trout Stream at Chatsworth for the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire


2013

A second Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in Manchester with Foster & Partners


2013

A new garden for ceramicist, Edmund de Waal and Sue Chandler


2013

Planting designer for the Garden Bridge, designed by Thomas Heatherwick


2013

Garden design for San Francisco residence of Jony and Heather Ive


2013

Green Fuse: The Work of Dan Pearson, an exhibition at The Garden Museum, London


2013

Masterplan for Robin Hill, Connecticut


2012

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

Handyside Gardens, the first planted space at the new King's Cross development


2010

Landscape masterplan for Hawaiian property of Jony and Heather Ive


2011

New terrace design for the RIBA headquarters in London


2009

Spirit: Garden Inspiration, a book about influences on Dan's design work, is published


2006

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

Landscape design for the first Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre in west London


2005

Roof terrace for the new Evelina Children's Hospital, London


2005

A new Winter Garden at Battersea Park, London


2005

Masterplan for Park City, Hamadayama, a new residential development in Tokyo, Japan


2004

A new London garden for Sir Paul Smith and Pauline Denyer


2004

Merrill Lynch Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show wins a Silver Gilt Medal


2003

Appointed weekly gardening columnist for The Telegraph


2002

Collaborates 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

A new design for the walled garden at Broughton Hall


2000

A new garden at Sir Paul Smith and Pauline Denyer's Italian residence


2000

A series of roof gardens for the new Roppongi Hills development in Tokyo, Japan


1999

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

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


Bibliography