Catherine Shields has gained extensive experience around the world since completing a Masters in Landscape Design at Manchester University, UK in 1991.

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Catherine has been designing gardens and running the Alchemy of Gardens in Tasmania since 2000. 

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"Whilst it is imperative that a garden fulfills all the practicalities and needs of the client , to me it is not simply another outdoor room. If treated as such it may be in danger of becoming too sterile. A garden is no less than the transition between the safety of the interior and the wild places. There is always some essential feeling to a place and it is this feeling that drives and inspires me. My primary aim is to help connect, or reconnect, people to the beauty of nature and, hence, to their own innate nature. There is a balance to be had between the feeling of being in control and a little gentle chaos which allows us to loosen and unwind. 

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I am deeply inspired by this extraordinary island we live on. Its intimacy, the sense of community and especially it's wildness. How we nurture our own spirit, create places to live that are a reflection of the history and beauty around us and how we build in a way that is deeply respectful to the environment are questions I return to time and time again"

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"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home" . 

                                            Gary Snyder

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