who i am

Alys Francis, trained as a landscape architect to masters level with 20 years plus working with the planted landscape through gardening and landscape and planting design. 

what i do 

Landscape design, planting design, land management and nature restoration. I visualise the potentials of a place from a small garden scale to a large landscape scale. Stage 1, starting with a brief, is designing and working towards a vision for the future, within this stage is often a good lot of research, this is what makes a project unique. Stage 2 is developing this design/ vision with you the client(s) and stage 3 is implementation. Important for the integrity of a project is seeing the process all the way through to the final stage of planting, whether as a supervisor with contractors or volunteers or planting myself. 

For a larger scale project it may be appropriate to carry out changes in phases. For example with Gyfyng, a current project, 31 acres in Snowdonia National Park. We are looking at biodynamic methods, natural farming and Knepp rewilding project for a lighter touch to land management. To date we have planted an orchard- apples for juicing and eating, damsons, cherries and two kinds of cobnut. The plans for upcoming work are focused around a generous vegetable plot to feed visitors to the summer campsite and for pickling and fermenting, plus trial beds for grains: Bere Barley, Donegal Oats, Spelt plus Quinoa. The intention for the coming year is to introduce grazing Welsh Black cattle and Duroc pigs. We are looking at creating wildlife corridors by reinvigorating the 'clawdd' boundaries (a kind of local traditional stone and earth boundary planted on top with hedging species). 

Another recent project completed in one phase, Clifden Road, a back garden in London, was a thorough investigation into non-destructive methods of hard landscaping- using as much that is already onsite as possible, recycling what goes off site, no materials from mining on the other side of the world, limited transportation of goods ( UK only ), the use of lime mortar and lime grouting, using concrete to an absolute minimum, use of reclaimed tiles and bricks and locally sourced sweet chesnut planks for a bench/wall capping.  This garden was installed last year, 2022. 

I am currently focused on habitat creation and looking at productive landscapes in a rural context, and in an urban context with public planting schemes. The best results come, in my experience, with a deeper engagement with all that makes a project, hence often being taken down research avenues; finding a unique angle, with a goal of creating a place that some how glows.  

my values

My values are all around restoring a gentle relation between humankind and the rest of the natural world. No chemicals, no invasive technologies, no heavy machinary. I purposefully keep my fees to a minimum as my intention is to be affordable for all. 

making contact

Please feel free to make any enquiries to alysfrancis@protonmail.com

Collaborations, ideas for projects, requests for assistance.