ABOUT SHARON HOCKENHULL Sharon is a double RHS award winning garden designer and landscaper based in North West England. Whether you have a small city yard, an expansive country garden or a community project Sharon can create a design that will be inspired, landscaped on schedule and within budget.

Her approach to garden design is very much guided by her hands-on experience of maintaining and developing gardens. Designing a space is ultimately influenced by the client’s needs and desires, with simple functionality at the forefront followed by layers of detail in materials, features, structures and the planting. Plant choice and combinations appropriate to place is key and balanced with an appreciation of the importance of seasonal change through plant type, form, structure, foliage and light.  

One of Sharon’s passions is to make gardens more resourceful while still appealing to the contemporary idea of an outdoor room or rooms. Strong design is central, softened with a combination of ornamental planting alongside a variety of attractive 'tough as old boot' fruit specimens.

"Fruit is incredibly easy to grow. It requires very little pampering which is perfect for the time-conscious who would love to be part of the grow-your-own crowd. Many fruit plants are ornamental in their own right too, offering beauty through flowers, the fruits and in some instances striking autumn foliage. Above all, stepping out in the morning to pick your own garden-grown fruit is one of life’s simple little pleasures."
SHARON HOCKENHULL

This passion led Sharon to exhibit her first contemporary fruit-themed show garden at the RHS Flower Show, Tatton Park, Cheshire in 2009 called 'Be fruitful' which was awarded a Silver-Gilt medal. It was also through this garden that Sharon attracted the attention of the well known Italian cook Antonio Carluccio, who's garden she has now designed and created into an urban fruit garden.

"I was looking for inspiration for a new garden in my new house in Putney... and there was Sharon Hockenhull on BBC Breakfast presenting a fantastic idea of planting fruit trees and bushes alongside beautiful flowers. Not only a visual and aromatic garden but one full of flavour too. Now I have fourteen different varieties of fruit which already in the first year, I enjoyed enormously. That's what I call gardening."
ANTONIO CARLUCCIO

Sharon is also the founder of the Fruitshare initiative, an internet-based project where people with surplus garden fruit can share their harvests – a great way to minimise waste and encourage local food sustainability. The project is non-profit making and has now been re-developed in partnership with Orange Pippin, an online resource for apples and orchards run by Richard Borrie.

Alongside her design and landscaping, Sharon also offers clients garden maintenance with an emphasis on plants and border development as well as specialist consultancy on garden planning, fruit tree pruning and a fruit tree grafting service. Sharon also writes gardening articles for various publications and keeps a blog.

Based in the North West, Sharon mainly works on local projects but will consider commissions nationwide.