Oops! Joe Swift, 59, goes a bit crazy with his paving as Gardeners’ World presenter is on a mission to bring the 1970s trend back into fashion – to the dismay of some of his fans
You might have thought it had ended up in the same bin of 1970s bad taste as flock wallpaper, Artex ceilings and avocado bathrooms.
But Gardeners’ World presenter Joe Swift appears to be on a mission to bring back crazy paving – and in a very unusual way – much to the dismay of some of his fans.
The landscaper has proudly unveiled a new garden path at his home in rural west Dorset, with stretches of random blocks interspersed with sections of more traditional, regimented patterns.
Mr. Swift – sidekick of Monty Don on the BBC show – has commented on the outcome of what he calls an ‘art process’, claiming: ‘I absolutely love it, I have to say.’
But not everyone is convinced. “Messy,” one Instagram user stated. “Awesome,” said another. One follower wrote: ‘Seriously? That looks like a bodge job.” And yet another compared it to the ‘sloppy work’ done in their own garden.
Gardeners’ World presenter Joe Swift appears to be on a mission to bring back crazy paving – and in a very unusual way – much to the dismay of some of his fans
Mr Swift, 59, swapped his terraced house in Hackney, East Londonfor his new rural property late last year, and charts his efforts to redesign the two hectares of land on his territory YouTube channel Joe Swift’s Country Garden.
For the enthusiast, he rebuilt the path with Chelmer Valley pavers alongside crazy paving made from reclaimed limestone slabs and some sandstones from the old path. The result has divided his fans, with several voicing their approval.
A visitor to his website said: ‘Never in a million years would I have thought of combining those two paving styles. It looks amazing.’
Mr Swift, 59, swapped his terraced house in Hackney, east London, for his new rural property late last year, and is chronicling his efforts to redevelop the two hectares of land on his YouTube channel Joe Swift’s Country Garden
For the enthusiast, he has rebuilt the path with paving stones from Chelmer Valley in addition to crazy paving made from reclaimed limestone slabs and some sandstone slabs from the old path
Another wrote: I love it. It’s just like life. Sometimes it’s orderly and routine, then there are crazy chaos sections. Keeps life interesting.’ And a third said: ‘I thought I would hate the path but when I saw it I realized I absolutely love it.’
Mr Swift, who posted a video of the completed path after returning from his duties as presenter of the Chelsea Flower Show for the BBC, said: ‘I’m really happy with it, the materials I’ve chosen and how it’s laid .’
He also hopes some plants will sprout in the cracks in the pavement. He says, ‘I don’t want any cement in the holes. It just wouldn’t look right.’
Maybe you should have expected the creative solution from someone with artistic parents. Swift’s mother is the novelist Margaret Drabble and his father is the late Keeping Up Appearances actor Clive Swift.
