Having recently finished remodelling the grounds of a castle just across the border in Germany, you’d think British garden designer Fiona Hampton would now have a preference for big projects. But no.
“I have a wide range of customers who wish for very different things in very different locations and sizes. Whether it’s a small back yard or a large area, rebuilding an existing garden or implanting one from scrap, I always find the challenge exciting!”
Since she moved to Luxembourg six years ago, she has been confronted with many types of challenges, often linked to the diversity of the soil and the many slopes in the landscape.
The fact that people of so many different nationalities often want to “recreate a little bit of home in the garden” is also something she finds interesting.
“You have to make people’s expectations and the garden’s reality meet. Sometimes, people will have a vision of what they’d like but when they see it on a sketch, they discover it doesn’t work. Garden designers give you ideas you hadn’t thought of; they’ll know exactly what kind of plants will be good in your area’s soil and climate and how you can make the best of your space--all whilst taking into consideration the time you want to spend gardening and what budget you have.”
Hampton admits that trends also play a role in what people want in their gardens. Among growing demands are, for example, wild flower meadows, instead of bedding flowers: “like what Nigel Dunnett introduced in the London Olympic Park Gardens.”
“This is not only because the naturalistic plantings look nice, there’s also has something to do with the need to do something for the planet, to protect biodiversity.”
Imitating natural meadows attracts wildlife and this has many positive effects. “I have customers asking which plants are the best to attract pollinating insects like bees and butterflies that are declining.”
“Ecological gardening is taking off in several countries and it’s sure to grow here too. Recently there have been courses in permaculture in Luxembourg and it was a great success.”
Hampton herself is working on her own “forest garden” and has recently begun investigating “unusual vegetables”.