Garden Design Rooted in Plant Knowledge
Landscape architecture design expertise and more than a decade of hands-on horticultural experience.
Viktoria Gal
Qualified Landscape Architect and Trained Gardener
My name is Viktoria Gal, a qualified landscape architect and trained gardener with more than a decade of hands-on experience.
I graduated in landscape architecture from Budapest Corvinus University in 2008, specialising in historic gardens. Early in my career, I gained design experience working on playgrounds, public spaces and private gardens at several firms based in Budapest.
In 2011, I relocated to England to complement my design knowledge with hands-on horticultural experience. I studied gardening at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and worked with plant propagation at Birchwood Nursery.
From Gardener to Head Gardener Responsibilities
After moving to England, I began working at Mottisfont, a historic garden managed by the National Trust and home to one of the world’s most celebrated collections of old-fashioned roses.
During my 12 years at Mottisfont, I progressed from gardener to senior gardener and later shared the role of head gardener. Alongside garden and plant care, my work included plant propagation, research, documentation, and the preservation of the historic garden’s character and biodiversity.
Specialist Areas of Plant Expertise
At Mottisfont, I was responsible for nurturing over 1,500 roses across more than 700 varieties. This gave me a deep, practical understanding of historic roses, from propagation to pruning.
I had the privilege of working under David Stone, one of the foremost authorities on traditional roses, and gained experience with a wide range of historic rose groups. In 2019, I received the Martin McLaren Scholarship, which allowed me to deepen my expertise at the Europa-Rosarium in Germany.
Alongside roses, I also have extensive experience with winter gardens, historic gardens and planting concepts designed to provide year-round interest.