Last night I met Luciano Giubbilei. And it was an extraordinary evening. To me Luciano has always been the mythical figure, the designer one only glimpses in magazines and publications. I loved his Chelsea garden last year, wished I could sit in it and speak to him. Never in my life did I think I would be squeezed into a car with him, dashing through poring rain to the train station and chatting about random things joking and laughing. What struck me at his talk for the OCGD was how very natural and easy he was. His naturally ebullient Italian nature really came through and he was able to explain clearly his designs and philosophies.

His gardens are striped down to the bare minimal, creating a stage set for light and shadow to play and shimmer through leaves and gorgeous art work. Anish Kapoor features a lot in his gardens which shows what sort of budget he get to play with.. He also made me think about what sort of designer I was and what I have set out to achieve and why. I was struck the force with which he felt time slipping away and how important it was to dedicate precious time to real friends, people you love and cherish, and only do the best jobs. He echoes my belief that you meet people at the right time and the right place for a reason, and often you know someone is special and plays a part in your life before you've even spoken. He navigates through life with the same sort of sensitive intuition. Finally, it is rare to meet someone who understands you when you explain your building a show garden. It is such humongous time consuming emotional roller-coaster, finding time for friends and 'life'  is difficult. You find your self cleansing you life of all the superfluous, the pointless, turning down the bad jobs and bad friends. We have exchanged a couple of emails (in Italian!) on this subject and I am grateful for the advice he has bestowed. I can sum up the whole experience in three phrases. Tempus Fugit. Chiaroscuro. Do every thing to the best of your ability. Grazie Luciano!