Meet the designers of Strive and Thrive Resilient Planting Pocket at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2024
Ssh Scapes
Ssh Scapes is a new collaboration between there female designers, Sonia Kamel, Sally Giles and Helier Bowling.
They met in January 2023 on the KLC garden design diploma. After graduating, they have gone on to set up their own individual garden design businesses. However, when the opportunity to apply for the RHS Resilient Pocket Category at Hampton Court Flower Festival 2024 arose, they decided collaboration was a good strategy.
While each bring different skills to the table, they have a shared love of ‘light touch’ design, naturalistic planting, vibrant colours and sustainable solutions that benefit birds, pollinators, wildlife and people.
See the Strive and Thrive Resilient Planting Pocket
Sonia is the artist in the group. She is passionate about naturalistic style gardening and attracting biodiversity within her designs through mindful planting. She won the Hampton Court Flower Show container competition in 2023 with a Royal themed design of pollinating plants and herbs.
Sally is the driving force in the group. Her practical nature ensures their visions work and her love of sustainable materials and construction methods ensure they do this in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Helier is the expert grower. Her gardening experience and love of growing from seed for pollinators and wildlife provides the horticultural depth and knowledge to form planting schemes that she knows will work and look stunning as well as being beneficial to the environment.
All three designers are embarking on new horticultural careers, they are all in their 50s and would like to prove that new beginnings are always possible whatever your age and background.
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