Ian Robertson, Ltd.

The Designers

IAN ROBERTSON, founder and owner of Ian Robertson, Ltd., is an internationally acclaimed horticulturist, with over 35 years experience in the industry. Trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland and with extensive experience in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Mr. Robertson combines the artist’s creative touch with a singular appreciation for the inherent temperament of a place. Following employment with a large contracting firm in Washington, D.C., Mr. Robertson returned to the United Kingdom, where he formed his own design and build firm. After 13 successful years, he moved back to the United States to design and install residential, estate, and corporate gardens.

Mr. Robertson has worked on projects throughout Virginia, as well as in Florida, Wisconsin, California, New York and New England. He is responsible for the layout and planting design of several of the gardens comprising the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia. This includes the planting plan for the Henry M. Flagler Perennial Garden, one of the largest mixed perennial gardens in the United States.

Mr. Robertson is an instructor of planting design and woody plant identification at Piedmont Virginia Community College, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is a member of the College’s Horticultural Advisory Board. Mr. Robertson lectures frequently on horticultural, environmental, and design topics. Additionally, Mr. Robertson has volunteered his professional services to non-profit organizations, including the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, Charlottesville, Virginia; the Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville; the Wildlife Center, Waynesboro, Virginia; and Liberty Hall, Frankfort, Kentucky.

BUDDY SPENCER, is a registered Landscape Architect in both the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Georgia. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Mr. Spencer has over 23 years experience in site planning, master planning, project management, zoning, erosion control and landscape design. He is a long-term member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and currently serves as the Treasurer on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Chapter.

Before joining Ian Robertson, Ltd., Mr. Spencer served as the Senior Landscape Architect for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, where he greatly improved the beautification of parks, boulevards and gateways throughout Norfolk. Among a variety of talents, Mr. Spencer specializes in garden design, alternative stormwater management design, recreational and environmental master planning, environmental interpretive designs, wilderness trail design and construction, and extensive government project management.

Prior to returning to his native Virginia, Mr. Spencer served as Senior Parks Planner for Fulton County in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was the chief designer for one of the proposed venues for the 1996 Summer Olympics. During his seventeen years of professional service in Atlanta, Mr. Spencer planned and developed a major environmental education facility, designed upscale gardens and commercial landscapes, and co-owned the firm Spencer & Associates, specializing in garden architectural designs. During this time, he was also the lead developer of the Georgia Environmental Education Alliance, uniting Nature Centers and Environmental Centers throughout Georgia into a single organization to better promote the profession and the services of environmental educators. He has received awards in both Georgia and Virginia for his services to further the cause of environmental education.

JENNIFER BLAKE DAVIS is an associate designer and special projects manager.  She has worked as a landscape gardener, doing maintenance, design and nursery propagation for over five years.  During her time at Ian Robertson, Ltd, Ms. Davis has honed her design skills to provide clients with intricate gardens tailored to their requests.  She serves as the primary plant buyer for several of the estates designed by Ian Robertson, Ltd.  Ms. Davis has a special interest in native plants and in organic gardening.