Your vote would mean everything 💚 Our Maybush project is up for the SGLD People's Choice Award 2026—a climate-forward sanctuary & thriving ecosystem with bold colour, year-round biodiversity. Vote by 31 Oct: https://sgld.org.uk/events/awards/peoples-choice/2026/vote/ Ann-Marie & AMPG studio x

Getty Center's hardscaping: a 30-inch modular grid creates rhythm across the plazas. Rough-split travertine walls meet smooth paving, textured surfaces catch shadow. Massive boulders vary water sounds. 30 years on the contrasts still amaze! 1/3 #GettyCenter #LandscapeArchitecture

In California, I saw what happens when farmers think like gardeners. At Rancho Santa Clara del Norte, 200 pollinator species and 67 bird species support working lemon and avocado groves. Plants, soil life, habitat doing the work chemicals once did. Real biodiversity in action.

Here's my ten desert island bulbs (with in-stock links for UK, US and Canada) & there's some guilt-free permission-giving that might surprise you! https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/my-desert-island-bulbs-the-keepers?r=9b2c7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Thrilled that our RHS Wisley Wildlife Garden features in 'The Contemporary Garden' with just 300 of the world's finest garden and Landscape Designers. Vanity Fair calls it "An immersive look at all manner of verdant dreamscapes." Preorder: http://www.phaidon.com/contemporary-garden

We're thrilled our West Sussex courtyard garden is shortlisted for the SGLD Awards 2026. An honour to be in such esteemed company. More details on 1 October about the People's Choice Award. Thank you for selecting us @SGLD garden judges—we couldn't be more delighted! #SGLDAwards

After 30 years of creating award-winning gardens, this 10 step design guide shares what goes through my head when I stand in any garden for the first time. https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/how-i-start-every-garden-design-plants?r=9b2c7&utm_medium=ios

Transforming Hampton Court's Great Fountain Garden - still can't believe it! AMPG are working with Hampton Court's gardening team, headed by Graham Dillamore to redesign this 300 year old masterpiece with a vibrant, biodiverse, sustainable approach. Install news coming soon!

"It's face to face conversations that make things happen" Mark Gregory's words at Super Cluster @The_APL and @The_SGLD event. As an FSGLD leading our SGLD Registered Studio, I enjoyed the discussions on championing professional excellence & standing out as accredited pros. A brilliant evening.

AMPG is transforming Borde Hill's Victorian walled garden into an extraordinary culinary destination. These plants will contribute to four elemental quadrants celebrating both heritage & innovation, creating a biodynamic kitchen garden that feeds the new glasshouse restaurant. Opening Spring 2026.

At Lotusland, Ganna Walska transformed a failing pool into her lotus pond (1953-56), pioneering organic water gardening - no chemicals, only compost teas & microorganisms. Revolutionary! Her "impossibility doesn't exist" mindset created sustainable beauty decades ahead.

Ganna Walska's cactus obsession at Lotusland began with these golden barrel cacti. In 1941, she ditched the front lawn for spiky spheres visitors called 'mother-in-law cushions.' The best gardens begin with someone planting what they love, and bold beats boring every time.

From Burning Man's desert to Ganna Walska's Lotusland - sometimes you need the complete opposite! Visiting with fellow women in landscape, we expected botanical kitsch and found sophisticated art.

Perfect day for our studio plant ident, my garden acting as living library. My @gazeburvill chair hosting today's botanical briefing. 10 late summer stars in Bonne Maman jars - from Echinacea to Verbenas. Each brings insights for our boldly vibrant schemes. #boldvibrantbiodiverse

Anyone fancy a swim? 💙 Rather envious today! This section of a wider garden is finding its rhythm beautifully & it's a relief to see how well everything's performing in this heat. One can't help but appreciate a client's foresight including a pool in the brief! #GardenDesign

Anyone else feeling weirdly flat about their garden right now? Turns out the sceince suggests the most productive thing we can do is nothing at all... https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/the-august-slump-when-your-gardens?r=9b2c7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This is where our contemporary country courtyard begins transitioning into the surrounding countryside. Verbena bonariensis weaves through tawny grasses creates the relaxed naturalistic beauty we love. Sometimes in garden design the best approach is to let nature take the lead isn't it?

Sometimes the most intimate spaces deliver the greatest impact. This contemporary country courtyard, nestled within a former six-acre orchard, proves that bold design can transform a tricky space into something rather extraordinary. #AMPGDesign #BoldVibrantBiodiverse

Spoil heaps to show gardens, and why I got emotional about my miner grandad's allotment. What I thought about RHS Wentworth Woodhouse https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/yorkshire-pride-open-cast-mining?r=9b2c7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This week's My Real Gardens newsletter shares 10 cottage garden plant swaps from our Hampton Court Palace plans that could climate-proof your garden too. https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/our-hampton-court-palace-climate?r=9b2c7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

The AMPG midsummer studio plant ident session in a kimchi jar! Are your plants ahead or behind of these this season? From pollinator appeal to seasonal performance, learning directly from the plants in my garden keeps our studio planting design work sharp. #boldvibrantbiodiverse

Big specimen trees need expert planting. These 40-45cm Parrotia persica from @griffinnurseries planted by @LocationLandscapes with root irrigation from day one. June planting? With proper watering it works fine. Can't wait to see the autumn colour!

Chelsea Physic Garden – four acres of botanical brilliance I'd foolishly ignored for decades. Every plant earns its place through usefulness. The best design inspiration comes from places perfecting their craft since 1673! Plus Five Favourite Finds return! https://loom.ly/pvQH7HY

I can confirm that the British Library stage was properly daunting! But the passion in the room for creating climate-resilient gardens where people & planet thrive? Electric. See the Unearthed exhibition & there's a book too! https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening

Precision work on our West Sussex project as York stone reclaimed from the site takes on new life. Graduate Landscapes showing exceptional skill, reusing each weathered slab. Why waste that natural patination? It's the perfect backdrop for vibrant planting! #AMPGDesign #GardenConstruction

This evening at 6pm at the @BritishLibrary - how will we garden in 2075? Join me, Ruth Chivers & designers exploring climate-resilient gardens that heal communities & nurture biodiversity. From windowsills to acres, discover the gardens of tomorrow. £12 tickets available!

You know sometimes you meet someone and you just click? So it was with garden photographer @julieskelton.bsky.social Every shoot for my new book with Frances Lincoln has been a joy. Need a talented photographer with a big heart & can-do attitude? Julie’s your gal!

Greenhouse owners/dreamers - you NEED this! We celebrated Tom Brown's "The Greenhouse Book" launch at stunning @WestDeanGardens. It's THE comprehensive guide we've all been waiting for. I bought it, & can confirm it's brilliant! 📚🌱 https://amzn.to/43N5IMS

Love it when a client posts photos with comments like this - 'A perfect homecoming ❤️' You've made my day Jackie. Thank you!

What does your future garden look like? How will you garden in 50 years? So proud to contribute the family garden to the British Library's new "Gardens of the Future" book - 10 designers imagining 2075 Join us - Mon 23 June 6-9pm with Ruth Chivers. https://events.bl.uk/events/gardens-of-the-future

I'm opening my little black book - 40+ suppliers from £35-£20k I've kept to myself until now. Stuffed with prices & links, I hope it's SUPER useful. https://open.substack.com/pub/myrealgardens/p/garden-seating-shopping-guide-benches?r=9b2c7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Courtyard transformation: This West Sussex project demonstrates our studio's approach to creating impactful outdoor spaces through confident colour application. Bold design decisions, executed with precision, delivering the exceptional 'wow' factor originally envisioned. #ContemporaryLandscape

It's edimental, my dear! 🌿 We're in the Financial Times for our work reimagining kitchen gardens at Borde Hill with the Cordia Collective. This is garden making evolved - sustainability, biodiversity & collaboration unite. https://www.ft.com/content/30306375-6d80-4a21-9f20-d0a92bb9c05c

🌱 Bold. Vibrant. Biodiverse. AMPG is transforming Borde Hill's historic walled garden into an extraordinary culinary destination! Eat surrounded by the plants on your plate at Green Michelin-starred chef Chantelle Nicholson's restaurant. Opens spring 2026 ✨ Build photos coming soon! 🌿

How do busy people manage to have such fab gardens? I'm sharing the 15 best time-saving tips that have saved my sanity, including how to find 11 working days of gardening time hidden in your already bursting diary...💚 https://myrealgardens.substack.com/p/how-to-find-time-to-garden-when-you?r=9b2c7

Zoom in to check who's ACTUALLY watching who in our RHS Wisley Wildlife Garden! 👀 Greylag geese have made themselves thoroughly at home, pottering about like they own the place. Which, let's be honest, they probably do! THIS is what happens when you design with nature at the heart. 🦆🌿

Tom Hare's sweet chestnut structures are blending beautifully into our RHS Wisley Wildlife Garden, 4 years after installation. I adore how they co-exist with plantings, climbers claiming them in tendrilled embrace, creating secret spaces for wildlife - a symbiotic relationship if you will...

Never thought I'd admit this, but daffodils have become my spring muse. From yellow-phobe to trumpet enthusiast! This week's newsletter celebrates daff diversity, its history, planting tips and my favourite varieties. Sometimes yellow really can be mellow! open.substack.com/pub/myrealga...

Never thought I'd admit this, but daffodils have become my spring muse. From yellow-phobe to trumpet enthusiast! This week's newsletter celebrates daff diversity, its history, planting tips and my favourite varieties. Sometimes yellow really can be mellow! open.substack.com/pub/myrealga...

Lost your gardening mojo? Hope this week's free newsletter brings it back. Spring Zing: 31 Reasons to Love March! A joy-filled garden countdown as winter fades. PLUS: FREE ACCESS to all My Real Gardens archives THIS WEEKEND ONLY! Feel free to DIG IN! open.substack.com/pub/myrealga...

This Soil Exhibition? Mind. Blown. From zinc-cast termite mounds to microscopic worlds - Somerset House's exhibition proves that soil is much more than dirt. Honestly, just GO! Full story + audio in this week's newsletter. Free trial available! 🌱 myrealgardens.substack.com/p/soil-so-mu...

On a train to RHS Vincent Square, pondering the lack of blue sky views on Southern Rail. Thinking: retractable roofs for cloud appreciation, sky-gazing recliners in quiet carriages & bird feeding stations between cars! Fellow sky and garden lovers - what would you install on YOUR train? Go wild! 💚