London is meeting a new class of young gardening lovers that are using social media to show their green works with blooms, blossoms, and beds. Meet 3 of the leaders of this group, who are redefining the English country garden and making of London in a greener city.
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Hugo Bugg
Hugo Bugg, the youngest winner of a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2014, is our first star changing this city. “We moved to Devon [a rural country in southwest England] when I was about five years old and we had about three acres of complete wilderness,” he says. “I spent my whole childhood working with my dad clearing it.” Now Bugg is the co-founder of garden design studio Harris Bugg.
Always pushing himself to do the best work possible, Hugo Bugg governing aesthetic changes with each project: “But we always ensure there’s a strong narrative to the gardens we do,” he says.
His studio already completed the Royal Botanical Gardens of Jordan which gives even more recognition to his work.
Flora Starkey
It’s not just out in the yard that this movement is taking place, but in British floristry too.
Contrary to Hugo Bugg, Flora Starkley is making history through the British floristry too. This young woman worked in fashion for many years but, after having children, decided to dedicate to the floral design as it involved less travel and offered a connection to nature.
With a delicate and romantic but bold taste, Flora has fans in Givenchy and Louis Vuitton, who have used her in ad campaigns. “I like my displays to have a sense of place and to enhance their surroundings. The venue or setting will dictate so much of the direction,” she says.
Sophie Walker
Sophie Walker is another recognized professional in the area that compares her work to high arts such as painting, poetry, and literature. “The aspiration of the garden was far beyond that of decoration: The garden was a place in which we could consider our place in the world around us,” she says.
The youngest woman to ever show at the Chelsea Flower Show (in 2014), Walker has written extensively on the matter and most enjoy working with rare plants.
These three artists are not the only ones developing these kinds of works that deserve a serious recognition, not only for the beauty of their works but because of their work that truly contributes for a more beautiful and green London.
