In a sloping, south-facing garden in Somerset, horticultural ecologist James Hitchmough is cultivating a landscape designed to endure the effects of climate change anticipated over the next 25 years. Spanning 2.6 acres, his garden combines roughly half an acre of flowering plants and two acres of wood pasture, a meadow-like glade bordered by densely planted trees and shrubs. Hitchmough’s work reflects his extensive experience studying plant communities worldwide and his commitment to sustainable, biodiverse planting.
Hitchmough, professor emeritus at the University of Sheffield, began developing the garden in 2022. He has long been known for his contributions to urban ecological planting, including collaborations on the 2012 Olympic Park gardens in east London and the rewilded Walled Garden at Knepp in West Sussex. His approach here integrates scientific knowledge with a keen sense of aesthetics, creating a dynamic garden that functions as both an experimental site and a living canvas.
The garden’s design centers on an amphitheater-like meadow, recently cut, from which visitors can observe 253 trees and shrubs throughout the seasons. The woody plants—about 50 taxa drawn from diverse geographic origins such as southwest China, northern Spain, and the northern Caucasus—include young oaks spaced widely apart, various species of wild pear, and 13 dogwood varieties noted for their distinctive flowers and colorful autumn foliage. Hitchmough is deliberately cultivating a space that is neither traditional lawn nor dense forest but an intermediate woodland habitat suited to urban environments where minimal mowing is desired.
Management practices embrace ecological principles, with the meadow divided into three sections to respond to the growth rates and maturity of the trees. The upper area, populated by younger, slower-growing specimens, is cut more frequently to promote flowering, while the base sees less frequent mowing, enabling habitats for invertebrates and other wildlife to thrive. Other features include an informal pool surrounded by a mix of native and unusual plant species that support a diversity of insect and bird life, including chiffchaffs and blackcaps.
Hitchmough also employs sustainable horticultural methods such as organic mulching and minimizing soil disturbance to foster healthy soil ecosystems rich in earthworms and other fauna. His broader goal is to demonstrate how mixed and layered plantings can increase resilience against climate change while enhancing biodiversity and visual interest.
By reimagining garden design through the lens of ecological adaptability, Hitchmough offers a model for future landscaping that addresses environmental challenges without sacrificing beauty. His Somerset project stands as a forward-looking template for gardeners and landscape architects seeking to harmonize aesthetics with sustainability in a changing world.