Topher Delaney

 Specialising in healing gardens for hospitals and sanctuaries after making a pact with god should she recover from her breast cancer diagnosis. 

Hailing from San Francisco her style is often regarded as colourful, upbeat and unorthodox. She has worked on projects ranging from small roof gardens to large 400 acre wine estates. There are aspects of her design I enjoy. It’s bold, angular and uses vertical form to great effect. It offers serenity through its enclosed spaces. I really find the use of the hard edges in its materials in contrast with the soft vegetation interesting.

Topher really takes care with her planting as well. Rather than using a pre set pallet of plants she works hard to use plants that can really feature well in the gardens. For example, in the garden if a cancer unit she used plants that had been used in the treatment of patients as the base for the planting. In another garden families selected the trees that were used to commemorate those whom the garden was dedicated.

The one thing I particularly enjoyed about her was that she is often know as an art who specialises in landscape.