Tom Simpson: The First Garden Designer To Win All Four Awards At RHS Hampton Court
Contributions From TOM SIMPSON
Tom Simpson is an award-winning Garden Designer and the first person to ever win all four awards at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival for his garden in 2021. He trained at the London School of Garden Design based at Kew Botanic Gardens and has worked as a Designer at Rosebank Landscaping for more than 6 years.
Tom Simpson is a renowned Garden Designer based in London who graduated from the London College of Garden Design and worked with leading designers before establishing his own successful practice.
His remarkable career includes a historic win at the 2021 RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, where he became the first designer to clinch all four top awards, including Best in Show and the People’s Choice Award.
As we delve deeper into his career, we explore his background in gardening, the challenges of running a design studio and how he sees the future of the garden design industry.
Please note that all imagery provided in this interview is courtesy of Rachel Warne and Joanna Kossak.
What Initially Piqued Your Interest In Garden Design?
“It’s something that I grew up with, as both of my parents, my mum especially, gardened,” shares Tom. “Whenever we went out, it would involve visiting a garden. Because of that, I’d always been interested in spending time in the landscapes.
“As I grew up, I spent some time working for my friend’s parents, who were garden designers. They bought this property in Cornwall and were establishing a garden there, so I spent a few months helping them out by building bonfires, clearing ivy off walls and digging over flowerbeds.
“That’s when I realised that garden design was a real career option – I loved it. Seeing what they did and how they put together their planting schemes really fascinated me.
“I went away and then had a short career in the film industry and realised that wasn’t for me and that garden design was still an option. I’ve also always loved spending time outdoors, so I thought I’d give it a go.
“I didn’t fully appreciate what garden design was at that point and it wasn’t until I went to college that I realised what it entailed.”
Looking Back, Is There Any Advice You’d Give To Your Younger Self When You Were Just Beginning Your Journey In Garden Design?
“I would have said to get more practical horticultural experience and training,” he muses.
“I think that would have been beneficial to me, as so much of the learning is practical and an education can teach you what to do, but you really need to get out there and do it. Everything else I’ve learnt has been on the job.
“My advice would be to spend a year working in a garden and then do your course so you have that added understanding when you’re starting out.”
In 2021, You Became The First Designer To Win All Four Awards At The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. How Did It Feel To Achieve Such A Remarkable Feat?
“I’d previously done two show gardens there, but in 2019 I’d started a partnership with Cancer Research UK, so this was the second garden that I had designed for them. The idea was to build on the success of our first garden.
“As things were starting to build back up again after the pandemic, the idea had been in my head for a long time, so winning all of the awards was a hugely gratifying thing to happen and I was particularly pleased for the charity and the added press coverage they got.
“It was a great experience and I’m really proud of that project.”
What Are Some Of The Biggest Challenges You’ve Faced In Your Career, And How Did You Overcome Them?
“Facing big challenges all the time is just part of running your own business. There’s a big difference when working as a Garden Designer in a studio and running your own practice.
“The challenges that I face are similar to that of other small business owners. I’ve only been in the industry for eight years and worked for myself for three, so I’m pretty new to the game. Fortunately, things are going well at the moment, as we are expanding and have lots of new projects on the go.”
With The Changing Climate And Its Impact On Gardening And Landscaping, How Do You Foresee The Future Of Garden Design?
“I think that good practice always says that you should use the right plant for the right place, and that applies more than ever now,” says Tom.
“You have to plant with sustainability in mind now, otherwise things will not grow. We are looking to plants that are more adaptable to dry conditions but also plants that can cope with damper environments. Those that are best suited to two ends of the scale need to be considered more and more.
“We have to look to resilient plants too. With these things is an opportunity to do something interesting with your design as well, so it’s all about looking at the plants and working out what will do best.”
What Are Some Of The Upcoming Projects You’re Most Excited About?
“We’ve got lots of fun stuff going on at the moment,” he shares.
“We are currently on site planting on a project just outside of Bath. It is a beautiful Victorian villa with lovely grounds that has a formal scheme.
“We also recently worked on a pocket corner garden that had a minimalist feature wall and panels. We are hopefully taking images of that soon to share. We work on such a broad mix of projects, these two stand out at the moment!”
