Why I Actually Love AI (and Why It Doesn’t Design My Gardens)

Firstly Sorry for the bad sci-fi pun.

I was out on a long walk today — the place where I seem to do most of my thinking — and it struck me how much I actually enjoy using AI as a tool.

It made me realise that if it disappeared tomorrow, I’d genuinely miss it. Not because it designs for me, but because it’s become part of how I think, test ideas, learn, and keep things moving when you’re working largely on your own.

That thought stayed with me long after the walk ended.

AI gets talked about a lot in creative industries. Often with fear. Often with extremes.

Here’s my honest view.

I actually love AI.

But no — it doesn’t design my gardens.

As an independent, small studio, AI has helped me more than almost any other tool I’ve adopted in recent years. Not as a replacement for thinking. Not as a shortcut to design. But as something that fits around the work.

And that distinction matters.

Design Still Comes First

My belief is simple.

If the internet went down tomorrow, you should still be able to design well.

You should still understand proportion, flow, materials, planting, and place. You should still be able to stand in a garden and read it.

That’s why I don’t use AI to design gardens.

Design comes from:

• Experience

• Observation

• Time on site

• Understanding people and place

• 
  

AI can’t walk a site. It can’t feel scale. It can’t sense atmosphere.

And it shouldn’t pretend to.

Where AI Does Help Me

Where AI really shines is everywhere around the design.

Some practical examples:

• Accounts and finances

• Checking grammar and clarity

• Research and deep dives into unfamiliar topics

• Sense-checking ideas or approaches

• Acting as a sounding board when working alone

• 
  

When you run a small studio, you wear every hat. Designer. Administrator. Marketer. Researcher.

AI helps carry some of that weight.

Not by replacing judgement — but by speeding up thinking, learning, and refinement.

A Tool, Not a Crutch

I’ve spent a lot of time testing tools and figuring out what works for me. That’s the key part people miss.

It’s not about using everything. It’s about fitting it into your process.

Used well, AI sharpens your thinking. Used badly, it dulls it.

The more it understands your company, your ethics, and how you work, the more useful it becomes. Especially when you work largely on your own.

Sometimes you just need to ask:

• “Am I explaining this clearly?”

• “Is there a better way to structure this?”

• “What haven’t I considered here?”

That’s not cheating. That’s good practice.

Enemy or Opportunity?

Personally i think If you see AI as the enemy, I think you’re missing the point.

It won’t replace good designers. But good designers will learn how to use it wisely.

The work still comes from you.

AI just helps you get there with a little more clarity — and a little less noise.