Meet Dorthe, a garden designer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She’s the author of four books, writes articles for various magazines and designs gardens for several TV shows. In other words: Dorthe’s life is all about gardening. Read her whole story down below.

This is me in a nutshell
"I'm Dorthe Kvist (@meltdesignstudio), Garden designer, based in Copenhagen Denmark. I have my own studio, where I do garden design. I design gardens and outdoor spaces, which I have been doing for more than 10 years. On that journey, I have gained a lot of experience with what people want, what they dream of, and what are the needs for a good and well-designed garden. When I design, I always create personal garden plans, that matches entirely the wants and needs of my customers, always trying to surprise with something they did not know they dreamed of.

I am the author of four books about gardening, and garden design, I write articles about gardening, and garden design for various magazines, I have designed gardens for several TV shows in Denmark, judged show gardens, and participated as a designer of two show gardens, I give lectures, hosts workshops, and do a lot of botanical styling for fairs and events, and flower festivals.

Privately, I am madly in love with gardening, and have been cultivating a garden since I was little. I grew up in a large garden, always sitting behind a gooseberry bush, or in the middle of the perennial bed on a exiting adventure, and the garden is the foundation for my best childhood memories.

My own private garden is situated 15 minutes from the center of Copenhagen. My garden is my sanctuary, my playground, my laboratory, this is where I seek, play, experiment, and collect knowledge of various plants, growing methods, and design issues. This I where I live and love, where I relaxes, and where I invite friends and have the best moments with my family, my old cat and our 4 backyard chickens. It is also from my private garden that I share my garden joy and try to inspire to greener and more beautiful outdoor spaces, as I do on my blog and on my Instagram."

My greatest garden victory
"I do have a lot of them in my own garden, but working as a garden designer, my greatest garden victories is when I see the peaceful and satisfied smile on my customers face, when I deliver a garden plan, that suits their needs and dreams. This is for me, the greatest gift as a designer, to make a difference to their lives in a positive way. 

A lot of people find it difficult to approach the design of the garden. Many are afraid to get started, and do not have much knowledge of either plants or designs. Therefore, it is a great pleasure for me to see how it all falls into place when my customers get their garden plan. It can be difficult to supervise a garden project, if you’re having very little knowledge about it, but getting a plan, is getting an overview of the garden and its design, and they get the feeling of getting control back. I just love to see how their shoulders lower around their ears, when they receive the final plan. This makes the success rate much greater to have a happy garden life. Having said that, its is a daily pleasure for me to know that I have designed a delightful garden for myself and my family."

My most beloved garden moments
"Being in the garden with my loved ones. Morning dew on the grass, the smell of wisteria, the light through the treetops dancing in golden spots, the sky reflected in the mirror pool, where I can see the clouds drifting by, the joy of the sound of buzzing insects gathering nectar in my perennials, the chickens which trumpets every time one of them has laid an egg, the first snowdrops, sun-ripened tomatoes, home-grown raspberries, I could go on and on ...

I love nature and it has always been the greatest source of inspiration for me, no matter what I do. But nature is also vulnerable, and especially right now, where we face some enormous challenges with climate change, with a lack of habitat for birds, insects, and animals which affects biodiversity to a great extent. Therefore, I would like to encourage to take care of nature more consciously, because it is the most precious thing we have. 

And I would like to shed light on how much comprehensive beauty we surround ourselves with every single day. Nature is the most beautiful, the most perfect and the most complex, in almost every stage of its cycle. It is, as no matter what we humans try to invent, design, or animate, it will always be mother nature that wins the prize of beauty, complexity, and perfection."

My fave Living Creations Hydrangea
"The hydrangea is one of the easiest plants in the garden to maintain. You get a long flowering period for a minimum of maintenance. I almost always use hydrangeas in my garden designs because they provide your garden with an abundance of flowering for a very long period. Choosing a favorite of the living creations is a hard choice, because all of them are gorgeous. But I like them big and blushing, so my choice is Hydrangea paniculata Living Strawberry blossom, because of its creamy white appearance in the summer, and the charming blushin in hues of soft pink during late summer."

Best advice for other gardeners
Garden’s aren’t built overnight. I feel like it’s so easy to think you can completely transform your yard in one season and people get inspired Remember that creating a garden takes time, and your needs, and your life can change along the way.  Use Creating a garden is a process, you will never finish, make peace with that fact, and you will become a happy gardener. Garden with your heart, dare to fail, and enjoy every minute.

Follow us, @living.creations and @meltdesignstudio for more garden tips and inspiration.