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.

Plant Spotlight: Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)If you want a plant that knows how to make an entrance, Hardy Hibis...
09/09/2026

Plant Spotlight: Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)

If you want a plant that knows how to make an entrance, Hardy Hibiscus certainly does.

Its enormous, silky flowers can be almost dinner-plate sized, appearing in striking shades of pink, red, white and burgundy. Against its lush green foliage, the blooms bring a real sense of drama to the late-summer garden.

What I particularly love about Hardy Hibiscus is that it gives the garden something to look forward to when many early-summer flowers are beginning to fade. It carries that feeling of abundance into late summer and early autumn.

It prefers a sunny position and moisture-retentive soil, and although it dies back in winter, it returns from the ground each year.

A wonderful choice when you want bold seasonal colour without relying on lots of different plants.

Would you give Hardy Hibiscus a place in your garden?



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

*5 autumn garden jobs you shouldn't skip*September is one of the busiest months in the garden, and one of the most rewar...
08/09/2026

*5 autumn garden jobs you shouldn't skip*

September is one of the busiest months in the garden, and one of the most rewarding if you get stuck in now.

Here's what I'd focus on this week:

1. Plant spring bulbs — tulips, alliums, daffodils, and crocuses all need to go in before the soil cools. Pop them in now and you'll have drifts of colour by March.

2. Divide congested perennials — if your clumps of geraniums, hostas, or astrantia are looking tired, split them and replant. They'll come back stronger.

3. Mulch your borders — a good 5-8cm of bark or compost now protects roots through winter and feeds the soil as it breaks down.

4. Clear leaves from lawns — a light scattering is fine, but thick mats left too long create yellow patches and encourage disease.

5. Photograph your borders — you'll spot the gaps and successes much more clearly now than in January.

Which of these are you tackling this week?



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

Why autumn is actually the best planting season (and why spring is overrated).Every year I have the same conversation wi...
07/09/2026

Why autumn is actually the best planting season (and why spring is overrated).

Every year I have the same conversation with clients: 'Shall we wait until spring to plant?'

And every year I say the same thing: no. Plant now.

Here's the thing about autumn planting that most people don't realise:

The soil is still warm from summer, which means roots establish quickly. There's more natural rainfall, so you spend less time with the hose. And because plants aren't trying to produce flowers and roots at the same time, all their energy goes underground.

By the time spring arrives, autumn-planted shrubs and perennials have a four to five month head start. They're stronger, better rooted, and ready to put on a show.

This works for almost everything: shrubs, perennials, trees, hedging, evergreens, and of course spring bulbs.

So if you've been looking at your garden all summer thinking 'I really need to do something about this' — September is your month.

Don't wait until spring. The best planting window is right now.

Book a free Discovery Call:
https://studio-hummingbird.moxieapp.com/public/garden-design-discovery-call-30-minutes



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

05/09/2026

Tucked into Steyne Gardens, opposite the Worthing seafront, is the Sunken Sensory Garden — planted by Sight Support Worthing, the town’s oldest charity, for people living with sight loss.

Standing in it, you realise how much of garden design we tend to hang on the eyes alone. Here it’s the other senses doing the work: lavender and herbs that release their scent as you pass, leaves made for touching, the sound of water from the restored fountain, paths anyone can follow with ease. That’s what good design really is — not decoration, but a space that works for the person in it, however they experience the world.

A real triumph on our seafront, and well worth a visit.

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

Does your home feel like it’s fighting you?Sometimes it’s difficult to explain.The room doesn't quite feel right.The gar...
04/09/2026

Does your home feel like it’s fighting you?

Sometimes it’s difficult to explain.

The room doesn't quite feel right.
The garden has been neglected.
Things don't flow as naturally as they should.

And you know something needs to change, you just don't know where to start.

That’s exactly what Bringing Harmony to Your Home: The Autumn Edition is about.

Join us for a FREE morning event exploring how small, intentional changes to your home, garden and surroundings can make a real difference to how your space feels and how you feel in it.

I'll be joining Coleman of Carole Coleman Design and Kingdon of LK Feng Shui to share practical ideas, seasonal inspiration and simple ways to create a more balanced home and garden as we move into autumn.

No major renovations. No overwhelm. Just practical ideas you can actually use.

📍 Merriman Grange Care Home, Worthing**
📅 Thursday 24 September
⏰ 10am–12pm
🎟️ FREE EVENT

Spaces are available, so if your home or garden has been quietly asking for a little attention, come and join us.

Register your FREE place here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bringing-harmony-to-your-home-the-autumn-edition-tickets-1998956512740

See you there?



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

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

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