For Tom Massey, climate change is a challenge to be faced head on. He is one of a new generation of landscape designers who are spearheading a more thoughtful approach. His recent book RHS Resilient Garden: Sustainable Gardening for a Changing Climate (DK, £27) has already become a bible for ecologically minded gardeners. Now aged 38, Tom left a career in animation to retrain at the London College of Garden Design a decade ago. He swiftly found himself in the public arena making award-winning gardens at RHS Hampton Court and Chelsea, including the WaterAid Garden, which was awarded a gold medal at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
Tom grew up in south London and, with his two brothers, spent much time exploring the wide-open spaces of Richmond Park as a child. ‘I think that encouraged an early connection with nature,’ he says. ‘The sense of escapism and exploration in nature has always been important to me and still is for my mental health.’
He has created dozens of gardens, both public and private, championing a low-impact approach without compromising design integrity and style. Much of his work is in cities, where he hopes to introduce as much nature into the urban environment as he can, showing his clients how biodiversity can be boosted and gardens can be managed in a more sustainable way. ‘Sometimes it can feel that what you are doing as an individual is insignificant,’ he says. ‘But if we all make small changes, like reducing hardscape, giving more space to plants or cutting the use of harmful chemicals, this can have a huge effect on a national or international level.’
He specialises in stylish, contemporary gardens that prove you do not need to have an untidy or neglected plot to boost wildlife and biodiversity. ‘Creating different zones or habitat types in your garden is one of the easiest ways to boost biodiversity, even in a small space,’ says Tom. ‘You could have a dry, gravel garden at the front of the house and a back garden that is more shady and cool. You could have a small pond fed by rainwater from your house and a vegetable garden with companion plants to bring in more pollinating insects.’ He also recommends creating habitats for insects and mammals by incorporating different areas of topography – piles of logs, crushed rubble or water features – that attract a wider range of wildlife. ‘The most important thing is to see the garden not just as an ornamental space or an area for entertaining, but as a living ecosystem,’ he says.
Tom tries to be as holistic as possible throughout the design process, working with whatever the site has to offer by reusing existing materials or selecting plants appropriate to the place. ‘Minimising impact on the site is key,’ he says. ‘The first step is to analyse the site and try to understand it: how it is at the present time; and how it will be in the future.’ He starts by identifying existing trees and shrubs that can be retained, as well as potential hardscaping materials. Any new materials will be recycled, reclaimed, recyclable, or from as local a source as possible. Lighting is also an important consideration in all his designs, with downlighting and warm-toned lights being the preferred options, to minimise the impact on bats and night-flying insects.
Tom tailors his planting carefully to each garden, with species chosen specifically for each area and microclimate. Using a palette of both native and non-native plants, he aims for a seasonal success-ion of flowers to attract as many pollinators as possible. ‘If you use only native plants, you’re limiting your flowering season,’ he says. ‘There are so many great non-native plants that can extend this. The shift in our climate is causing havoc with some of our native species, so including non-natives that may be more resistant to the effects of extreme weather events can build additional resilience into your scheme. We’re moving into unprecedented territory with a climate of extremes, and our vegetation and flora are going to change dramatically over the next 50 years. We base our plant selection on the site, choosing plants that are well suited to the existing conditions, so they don’t need heavy input of water, food or other resources to keep them alive and thriving.’
Tom feels the landscape design industry can be instrumental in raising awareness of the climate crisis and encouraging positive change, and is excited about developments in technology to help fuel these. ‘I think, increasingly, AI is going to have a role, looking at plant communities, assisting designers with plant selection as the climate changes and sifting through huge amounts of data,’ he says. ‘Social media can also help in sharing information. As landscape designers, we’re on the frontline of a battle, but if we all come together to communicate and share knowledge, there are solutions we can implement and so many ways we can adapt and progress’.
