Homing Podcast: Dan Pearson on Landscape Design, Mindfulness & the Alchemy of Gardening

Host: Matt Gibberd
Guest: Dan Pearson
Date: January 22, 2026

Overview

In this evocative episode of Homing, host Matt Gibberd welcomes renowned landscape designer Dan Pearson for an in-depth conversation set in the outdoor kitchen of Dan’s Somerset home. Their discussion is an intimate journey into the meaning of home, the transformative power of nature, the personal process behind a career in landscape design, and how gardening becomes a form of mindfulness, creativity, and belonging. Pearson shares childhood memories, insights from a lifetime of working with landscapes, and offers practical wisdom for nurturing a meaningful home and garden—no matter the scale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Formative Years and Place Attachment

• Early Home:
  Dan's childhood in Hampshire/Sussex was deeply shaped by a dilapidated Arts and Crafts house, overgrown gardens, and loving, creative parents.
  • “Mum fell in love with the building and the feeling of this house, which was rather wonderful... It was an Arts and Crafts building...the garden...was literally pressing against all the windows.” (03:08)
• Garden Restoration as Family Bond: Dan and his family spent years reclaiming the garden, unearthing orchards, greenhouses, ponds, and old trees, which gave a sense of adventure and discovery.
• First Gardening Experiences:
  Dan and his father each took borders to clear and plant, reflecting the household passion for making, creativity, and process.
  • "We did the right-hand border and dad did the left...talked about the progress of both...I had the beginnings of an art school training before I left home.” (09:04–10:47)

Gardening as Mindfulness & Emotional Well-being

• Gardening as Grounding:
  For Dan, gardening is an essential source of well-being and an antidote to life's volatility.
  • “The gardening for me is a complete mainline access route into feeling better. You're based in real time, you can't rush it and I think that's enormously grounding.” (00:03 & 58:17)
• Home as Sanctuary:
  The idea of home is deeply emotional—“a sanctuary, a place that the outside world doesn't need to exist…somewhere that’s self-defining.” (11:43)
• Mindfulness Routine:
  Dan meditates daily and finds parallels between the meditative state and the mindfulness evoked by engaging with the garden.
  • “I am pretty good actually at meditating twice a day…early in the morning and then again in the evening. And that’s been something that I’ve been doing for the last two years and have been meaning to do my whole life.” (54:31)

Creative Process & Professional Journey

• Non-traditional Path:
  Dan describes leaving school before A-levels to pursue horticulture, guided by his mother’s advice to follow his heart.
  • “Mum said to me…why don't you follow your heart and we find the best way of you doing horticulture?…As soon as she said, why don't we see…the best way of you doing something that you love, why didn't you follow your heart?” (20:33)
• Blending Art and Gardening:
  Influences from parents, art, and early mentors led to his approach where the emotional and sensory experience of place is central.
  • “There is an intellectual idea in there, but it's not necessarily the thing that you're wearing on the sleeve…it's more about the feeling of something being right in its place.” (28:24)
• Notable Clients & Creative Collaborators:
  Worked for influential names (e.g., Jony Ive, Paul Smith, Jurgen Teller) and grew his practice via creative word of mouth and television exposure.
  • “You suddenly find yourself in this place that you'd never have dreamed of being at when you were gardening at Wisley as a teenager.” (25:38)

Philosophy of Landscape and Belonging

• Place Identity & Control:
  Feeling rooted comes from physical and emotional engagement with land; Dan talks about the subtle line between controlling and collaborating with nature.
  • “It’s all about the line, I think, it’s all about...an invisible line. And sometimes it's further away and sometimes it's closer…and you can tighten the string so it's tighter, or let it go from year to year.” (45:42)
  • Visual metaphor: How their 20-acre property is managed like the expanding ripples from a stone dropped in water (47:57).
• Spirituality of Place:
  Describes his work as inviting a sense of serenity, subtle sensuality, and even spirituality.
  • “People often say when they come into the places, they've been taken somewhere…there's a spiritual quality to the places because you're being rooted in something that's often quite subliminal, something you don't quite understand, but is essential and sensual...” (30:58)

Human Connection, Solitude & Sharing

• Solitude vs. Loneliness:
  Gardening as chosen solitude rather than loneliness—“you choose to be alone when you’re gardening, but maybe solitary is the better word” (59:39).
• Gardening as Social Bridge:
  Best conversations often happen side by side in the garden; this is mirrored in Maggie’s Centres, where green spaces facilitate comfort and dialogue.
  • “As soon as men started working together in the garden, that's when the conversations happened.” (59:50)

Practical Wisdom & Advice

• For Gardeners at Any Scale:
  • Don’t rush; take time to observe and learn from your environment (65:59).
  • Start with what you have—windowsills, indoor plants, allotments—all can nurture attachment and creativity.
  • Allow kids the freedom to make a mess in nature and experiment.
  • It’s okay to make mistakes; learning comes from doing.

Memorable Anecdotes & Quotes

• On Emotional Attachment to Home:
  • “I think you’re extremely lucky in this life if you’re able to be in a stable environment with your kids and that provided that place.” (12:04)
• On Social Sensitivity & Differentness:
  • “I felt like I was affected by things deeply…There was an unknown element about the natural world that there wasn't with people. People are more scary.” (33:31)
• On the Alchemy of Gardening:
  • “I think I just understood that there was an alchemy in the process…if you allowed yourself to be part of the alchemy…it’s about nurturing…it’s about day-to-day observation…” (16:52)
• On Home as a Hub:
  • “The house is the hub and it's a really nice feeling…all these lines are our views and places we go to out from the house. But the house is where all the lines…the stories you bring back, that's where they're all revealed.” (43:42)
• On Nature and City:
  • “It was exhausting to be made to feel small by a man-made thing. That's what I've loved about Japan so much…you're often encouraged to be in those intimate places. The small is beautiful." (35:34)
• Closing Reflection:
  • “It’s a refuge, it’s an oasis, it’s an opportunity, it’s a luxury, it’s a safe place. It’s somewhere we can share with other people.” (64:36)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [03:08] — Dan’s description of his childhood home and the transformative effect of restoring the garden.
• [07:57] — On the importance of process over results in caring for a place.
• [16:52] — The "alchemy" of gardening and nurturing as a reciprocal act.
• [20:33] — Turning point: choosing horticulture over conventional education.
• [28:24] — The evolution of his work with prominent clients and maintaining creative authenticity.
• [30:58 – 32:26] — Defining the Dan Pearson garden: language, spirituality, and atmosphere.
• [43:42] — How the house acts as a central hub; connection between landscape and dwelling.
• [45:42 – 47:57] — Managing the line between control and wildness in land stewardship.
• [54:31–57:27] — Establishing and reflecting on a daily meditation practice.
• [59:39] — On gardening as mindful solitude (not loneliness).
• [65:59] — Practical advice for new gardeners: start small, observe, and be unafraid of mistakes.

Notable Quotes (with Attribution & Timestamps)

• “The gardening for me is a complete mainline access route into feeling better. You're based in real time, you can't rush it and I think that's enormously grounding.”
  —Dan Pearson, (00:03, 58:17)

• “I think you’re extremely lucky in this life if you’re able to be in a stable environment when you're kids and that provided that place.”
  —Dan Pearson, (12:04)

• “There is a spiritual quality to the places because you're being rooted in something that's often quite subliminal, something you don't quite understand, but is essential and sensual and important in some way.”
  —Dan Pearson, (30:58)

• “It was exhausting to be made to feel small by a man-made thing. That's what I've loved about Japan...the small is beautiful.”
  —Dan Pearson, (35:34)

• “It’s a refuge, it’s an oasis, it’s an opportunity, it’s a luxury, it’s a safe place. It’s somewhere we can share with other people...”
  —Dan Pearson, (64:36)

• “Don’t rush it. Take time to look. I think that’s the key thing.”
  —Dan Pearson, (65:59)

Conclusion

This episode is a rich meditation on the interwoven themes of home, creativity, nature, and identity. Dan Pearson’s reflections invite listeners to see their personal environments—no matter how grand or humble—as living canvases enlivened by attentive care, presence, and gentle experimentation. Through stories, practical advice, and deep emotional honesty, this conversation offers profound inspiration for anyone looking to cultivate a home that roots and restores them.