Melanie Hick, a Melbourne-born and London-based exterior designer, has won accolades for her innovative approach to gardening, particularly her ‘Climate-Forward Garden’ which earned her a Silver Gilt at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. Her design philosophy focuses on creating sustainable and beautiful outdoor spaces that spark important conversations about climate change. Hick believes in embracing year-round features rather than solely relying on color to bring life to a garden. She suggests using deciduous shrubs like Euonymus Alatus, which offer vibrant autumn colors, small flowers, and interesting bark throughout the year. She stresses the importance of considering structure, shape, and texture alongside color for a truly engaging garden experience.
When it comes to extreme weather, Hick draws upon her Australian roots, where droughts and flooding rains are common. She advocates for the use of lawns as a natural soakaway, especially when planted on a sand bed. For those seeking an alternative to traditional lawns, she suggests replacing them with gravel and deep-rooted plants like Hollyhocks, Perovskia, and kale. The gravel allows for effective water drainage, while the deep roots create channels for water absorption. This method is particularly well-suited for smaller courtyards.
Hick’s Climate-Forward Garden at RHS Hampton Court serves as a model for adapting to the UK’s changing climate. Her approach emphasizes the importance of incorporating climate considerations into garden design to create beautiful and resilient outdoor spaces for the future.
