Jennifer Clancy
Jennifer Clancy loves gardens. She grew up in western Victoria and enjoyed following in her mother’s footsteps in the vegetable and flower gardens of her family home as well as playing around the majestic trees of the town’s parks and gardens.
After studying philosophy and politics at university, Jennifer worked (on a building program) with a remote aboriginal community in the Central Australian desert. From here her work took her to youth and women’s services before her amenity horticulture training.
Jennifer holds a BA, a Grad Dip Applied Science (Burnley) and a Certificate of Permaculture Design. She moved to Malmsbury from Melbourne in 1992 and set up her design practice. Jennifer has travelled to Europe, Asia and Africa to cement her craft and enjoys spending long hours daydreaming in the soulful beauty of gardens.
A sustainable and organic approach to our earth’s resources is paramount to her design philosophy. Her design practice is informed by a sensitive and intelligent appreciation of water and other materials, including ease of maintenance. An approach which carefully listens to the needs of her clients, as well as a nuanced interpretation of the site, allows Jennifer to produce wonderful designs composed of strong confident lines, balanced spaces and striking use of plant material. Jennifer enjoys working with curves but appreciates that different sites and client preferences lean toward more geometric solutions. Appreciating the myriad different shades of green and foliage contrasts is an exciting foundation for plant material combinations. The sun’s movement across the sky and the changing interplay of light and shadow adds further to the experience of being held by the deep restfulness of nature.
Jennifer counts her influences in design to include Sylvia Crowe, Russell Page, Burle Marx, Robert Boyle, Kate Cullity, and so loves all styles of landscape design – formal, contemporary, natural – so long as they provide places to sometimes stop and sit and listen in silence.
Sculptural elements are an important focus in the garden and these can be pieces made by the owner and their family, treasured pieces salvaged or bought, and objects found in nature. They all give us an opportunity to rest the eye and reward the visitor.