Andalusia Garden Symposium

Luciano Giubbilei

Luciano Giubbilei began his career in gardens when he moved from his birthplace, Siena, to London in 1994. By 1997, he had completed his studies at the Inchbald School of Design and established his own practice.
This practice has evolved with a defining emphasis on exploring and nurturing a sustained dialogue with artists, architects, plantsmen and craftsmen. It is this commitment to collaboration that Giubbilei believes is key to expanding and challenging the creative process, moving the practice from the limitations of a familiar language.

Giubbilei began working on his experimental border at Great Dixter in 2012, after a transformative residency working alongside head gardener Fergus Garrett. This experience inspired a shift, encouraging an exploration of planting possibilities that has lead the studio towards larger landscape projects in Europe and the US. This evolution is documented in his most recent book, the Art of Making Gardens.
The studio is recognized for the understated elegance and serenity found in the gardens we create; defined by light and influenced by the classical Italian design heritage of proportion and balance. The gardens evolve through an exploration of spacing, rhythm and the repetition of single elements. Our motivation is to create timeless spaces, multi-layered environments where culture and nature are in close communication. Our approach is constantly evolving, both in response to individual clients and to the unique site characteristics. We strive to forge an emotional connection between the place and the people, valuing local materials and expressing our desire to connect people to nature, not merely through plants and flowers, but through the spatial arrangement, and its beauty.

Stephanie Mahon

Stephanie Mahon is Editor of Gardens Illustrated magazine and host of the Talking Gardens podcast. She is a multi-award-winning garden writer, and editor of the new Gardens Illustrated book, The New Beautiful: Inspiring gardens for a resilient future. Her previous books include Wild Gardens: Inspired by Nature. Before Gardens Illustrated, she edited The English Garden magazine and the Garden Design Journal – the magazine of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers UK. In November 2024 she was awarded the British Society of Magazine Editors Editor of the Year award for Homes, Gardens & Country.

Frances Palmer

A celebrated author, ceramist, gardener and photographer, Frances Palmer trained as an art historian at Columbia University and for the past 38 years, has focused on the process of changing ideas into form in her functional work – handmade ceramics. Her work is represented in leading private craft and contemporary art collections around the world and has been exhibited and sold internationally including at Fotografiska, Neue Galerie, Object & Thing and Wave Hill. Palmer has been featured in publications such as House & Garden, Neptune Papers, Vogue and The World of Interiors. Her first book, Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity was published by Artisan Books in 2020. Her second book, Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden, also from Artisan Books, is dedicated to the subject of flowers in her work and was published in May 2025. In this new volume, Palmer celebrates her love of gardening and her approach to planting in waves, ensuring there are always beautiful booms for her to photograph in her vases.