Studio Hummingbird -Designing Gardens to Inspire

Studio Hummingbird -Designing Gardens to Inspire Garden design in Sussex

Studio Hummingbird is a bespoke garden design studio based in Worthing, West Sussex. www.studiohummingbird.com

Victoria Rumens designs beautiful, personal gardens across Sussex, Brighton, Chichester, Horsham and the surrounding areas.

Your garden should feel like another room of your house.Not literally, I am not talking about outdoor kitchens and telev...
03/09/2026

Your garden should feel like another room of your house.

Not literally, I am not talking about outdoor kitchens and televisions. I mean it should feel like a natural continuation of how you live.

If you love having people over, your garden should have a generous space to gather. If you need quiet time, there should be a sheltered corner where you can sit and not be seen. If you have small children, the garden should work for them without being a plastic playground.

The problem is that most gardens are not designed at all. They are inherited. A previous owner's patio, a builder's lawn, a shed in the only spot it would fit. And none of it reflects how you actually use the space.

That is what garden design fixes. Not just making it look nicer, making it work for your life.

Does your garden feel like it belongs to your house? Or does it feel like someone else's?



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

There is something utterly graceful about Japanese Anemones dancing in the autumn breeze. Flowering August to October, t...
02/09/2026

There is something utterly graceful about Japanese Anemones dancing in the autumn breeze. Flowering August to October, they bring elegance to shaded borders with almost no effort. 'Honorine Jobert' in pure white is breathtaking against dark hedging. Plant now for a garden that feels considered and effortlessly beautiful.



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

Your September garden checklist.September is one of the most important months in the garden and one of the most overloo...
01/09/2026

Your September garden checklist.

September is one of the most important months in the garden and one of the most overlooked. While everyone's focused on back-to-school, your garden is quietly entering its most productive planting window.

Here's what to focus on this month:

Planting
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs (daffodils, alliums, crocuses)
- Divide congested perennials and replant
- Plant evergreen shrubs while the soil is still warm
- Sow hardy annuals for early spring flowers

Maintenance
- Cut back spent perennials, but leave good seed heads for birds
- Keep deadheading dahlias and roses for a final flush
- Collect seeds from your favourite plants
- Start composting autumn leaves

Planning
- Photograph your borders now — you'll spot the gaps
- Note what worked this year and what didn't
- Think about structure — where do you need more evergreen?

Autumn is honestly the best time to start a garden project. The soil is warm, roots establish quickly, and you're months ahead by spring.

What's on your garden to-do list this month?



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

Sometimes a garden doesn't need more.It needs less.More plants, more colours, more features and more ideas can seem like...
31/08/2026

Sometimes a garden doesn't need more.

It needs less.

More plants, more colours, more features and more ideas can seem like the answer when a garden feels underwhelming. But when everything is competing for attention, the space can start to feel busy rather than beautiful.

Good garden design isn't about filling every available space.

It's knowing what to repeat, what to remove and where to leave a little breathing room.

Because when everything doesn't have to shout for attention, the things that matter most can finally be seen.

Does your garden feel calm and considered, or do you sometimes feel there's just too much going on?



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

28/08/2026

You’ve watered it. You’ve worried over it. And still, every time you look out of the window, there it is: a tired, brown patch where your lovely green lawn used to be.

It’s a small thing, but it niggles. Friends are coming at the weekend and you find yourself half-apologising for it before they’ve even arrived. The garden you wanted to relax in has become one more thing on the list to feel guilty about.

Here’s what I’d love you to know. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you certainly haven’t killed it. A lawn browns in this heat because it’s the thirstiest, most demanding part of the garden — and keeping it perfect is a losing battle in a summer like this one.

The real question isn’t how to rescue the grass. It’s how to have a garden you actually enjoy looking at, all summer, without the worry. That’s exactly what we sit down and work out together on a Garden Clarity Visit. Link in bio🌿.

Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

There’s a particular sound I love in a garden.Not birdsong.Not running water.The sound of a chair being dragged across t...
28/08/2026

There’s a particular sound I love in a garden.

Not birdsong.

Not running water.

The sound of a chair being dragged across the patio.

It usually means someone has decided, *actually, I’m going to sit outside for a while.*

And I think that tiny moment says a lot about what a garden is supposed to do.

Because nobody drags a chair outside to admire the paving.

They do it because the evening feels good.

Because the light has changed.

Because someone has made a cup of tea and there are still ten minutes before dinner.

Because a conversation has somehow continued from the kitchen into the garden.

Those are the moments I think about when I design.

Not just where the plants should go, but what might make someone pause long enough to notice the garden they have.

A garden can be beautifully planted and still feel strangely unused.

And sometimes the difference isn't dramatic.

It might be the position of a seat.

A little more shelter.

A better view from the kitchen.

A path that makes you want to wander rather than simply get from A to B.

Good design creates the conditions for those ordinary moments to happen.

And perhaps that's the real luxury of a garden — not having somewhere impressive to look at, but having somewhere you naturally want to go.

If your garden isn't giving you those moments, that's something I can help with.

A Garden Clarity Visit is a good place to start if you want to understand what could change in your existing space.

Or, if you're still figuring out what you want, comment DISCOVERY and I'll send you the link to book a Discovery Call.

Sometimes the garden doesn't need more.

It just needs to give you a reason to sit down.



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

The paving is going down, and suddenly you can see it.Up to now this Worthing garden has been all groundwork — the path,...
27/08/2026

The paving is going down, and suddenly you can see it.

Up to now this Worthing garden has been all groundwork — the path, the drainage, the electrics, the bits that matter but ask you to take them on faith. This week is different. As each slab settles into place, the shapes of the garden are appearing: where you'll walk, where you'll gather, where the table will sit on a warm evening. The plans on paper are becoming a place you could step into.

There's a lovely moment on every project when a garden stops being a building site and starts feeling like somewhere. This is it. You can almost hear it now — the scrape of chairs being pulled up, a kettle on, the easy hum of people who've nowhere else they'd rather be.

Still plenty to come. But this family are one big step closer to the summers they've been imagining.

More soon.

I'm Victoria — I design gardens across Sussex and Surrey. Always happy to chat in the comments.

Garden design:
Landscaping:
Outdoorlighting:

Plant Spotlight of the Week: Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) Beautiful gardens aren't built on flowers alone. It's the plants ...
26/08/2026

Plant Spotlight of the Week: Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)

Beautiful gardens aren't built on flowers alone. It's the plants with strong character, colour and presence that can really bring a garden to life, and few do this quite like Kniphofia.

Also known as Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia produces striking architectural flower spikes in shades of fiery red, orange and yellow. Rising above its clumps of grass-like foliage, these dramatic flowers create a bold focal point that adds height, colour and movement to a summer garden.

Kniphofia thrives in full sun and prefers fertile, well-drained soil, making it particularly well suited to sunny borders where good drainage is important. Once established, it can tolerate periods of dry weather, making it a practical choice for summer planting as well as a beautiful one.

Beyond its vibrant appearance, Kniphofia is also a valuable plant for wildlife, with its nectar-rich flowers attracting bees and other pollinators throughout the flowering season.

It's proof that sometimes the plants that make the biggest impact are the ones that bring together colour, structure and wildlife value all in one.

Would you choose a bold Red Hot Poker like this to bring some fiery colour to your summer garden, or do you prefer softer, more understated planting?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Sometimes a garden doesn't need more plants, more paving or another feature.It simply needs something that makes you wan...
25/08/2026

Sometimes a garden doesn't need more plants, more paving or another feature.

It simply needs something that makes you want to be in it.

A place to pause.
Something that draws you further into the garden.
A connection between the indoors and outside that makes the two feel like one space.

The best gardens aren't just designed to look beautiful from the window.

They're designed around the moments that happen in them.

So, if you could change one thing about your garden to make you enjoy it more, what would it be?

Let me know in the comments.



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | | www.studiohummingbird.com

Sometimes the hardest part of improving a garden isn't knowing what to do.It's knowing where to start.You might know the...
24/08/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of improving a garden isn't knowing what to do.

It's knowing where to start.

You might know the patio needs changing, the planting isn't working, the garden feels overlooked, or you simply want somewhere you'll actually enjoy sitting.

But when you look at the whole space, everything seems connected, and suddenly one small change doesn't feel so simple.

That's often the point where a garden designer can make a real difference.

Instead of tackling things piece by piece, you can step back, look at the garden as a whole, and create a plan that works with your home, your lifestyle and the space you have.

So I'm curious...

If you could get professional help with ONE thing in your garden right now, what would it be?

A — I don't know where to start
B — My planting needs a complete rethink
C — I want the garden to work better for how I live
D — I have ideas, but I don't know how to bring them together

Choose the option that sounds most like you, then tell me a little more about what you're struggling with in the comments.

I want to understand your biggest challenge in your garden. 👇🏻



Studio Hummingbird | Designing Gardens to Inspire | www.studiohummingbird.com

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