About
Meet Sue Champagne
Sue Champagne is an award-winning garden designer specialist. Working in close consultation with clients in New England for more than two decades, she combines her expertise and passion to create distinctive exterior settings. Prior to starting Flora Design, Sue was the creative director at The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Sue and her husband live in Rhode Island with their beloved animals and, no surprise, lovingly-tended gardens and containers.
Client Testimonials
Sue worked with us on developing a new pollinator garden at our home in Portsmouth. She assisted us in making selections of many varieties of appropriate plants that would attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies— but also that were beautiful and met our desire for a tasteful and colorful garden space. We had space for nearly 100 plants representing approximately 25 different pollinator species, and she created the design that worked perfectly in our new garden.
Sue has an exceptional work ethic and style. In addition to having knowledge of plants that do well in this area, she has an eye for arranging the plantings so they create an appealing array of colors and shapes that are appropriate for the garden space. In addition, she was hand-on in executing the plan by installing the plant selections we made and in a format that was appropriate for the garden space. It is not always a given that a garden expert can provide design and plant selection, but also do the installation and ongoing maintenance if desired.
Sue and her team are a pleasure to work with. Sue is responsive when we have needed assistance with maintaining the garden, weeding, and providing suggestions for fertilizing and pruning. Sue keeps her appointments and arrives promptly with energy and joy. She works tirelessly and inspires us to do what we can to ensure the garden prospers and gives us what we want out of our plan. We highly recommend Sue for her work!
— Tom Hockaday and Bill Martin
Sue Champagne recently completed an extensive landscaping project at our home in Saunderstown. This involved plantings around a new patio, gardens flanking a porch and the perimeters of one side of our home as well as along the length of a long border fence. This project entailed detailed design work which was carried out with expertise and precision. Sue was thoughtful in the manner in which she incorporated our tastes into a plan which would work for the property and the environment. We couldn’t be more pleased with the final outcome. It’s the finishing touch to our home.
— Francine Cuozzo
Sue’s work is a brilliant combination of classical gardening principles and thoughtful sense of proportion that enhances and beautifies one’s surroundings in a thoroughly modern way. Her creative imagination and work ethic are boundless.
— Michelle Ingari
I have had the pleasure of working for years with the very talented "Succulent Sue," as I like to call her. Because of limited "green space" I used to employ Sue to create containers that would "pop" and have that "wow factor" on my patio. Because of extensive summer travel, she always selected plants (usually succulents, hence the nickname) that would thrive and survive in my absence. She always delivered high results, often exceeding my expectations. Her containers were filled with an array of succulents and annuals, each telling its own story, but complementing one another. The plants were healthy, vibrant, and would grow way past their expiration date.
I followed Sue for years throughout her various write-ups in trade publications and was always impressed by the gardens she was able to create in such limited spaces. When I moved and finally had a small yard to work with, I immediately hired Sue to design a lush coastal green space. She arrived full of ideas and truly listened to what I had in mind for the garden. She worked with what I had selected on my own, finding ways to compliment the perennials I had already planted. When planting day came, she arrived in a van filled with abundant grasses, perennials, and annuals. Before she planted, she took the time to feed and nurture the soil, giving the new plantings a healthy foundation to thrive. With quick, nimble fingers, and a "can do" attitude she single handedly transformed a bleak, desolate yard into a space filled with lush plants in a rainbow of vibrant colors, complimenting the coastal terrain and the landscape of the area. Several months have passed since she planted and the garden has grown in beautifully - the plants are happy, healthy, and thriving. As an "accidental gardener" I appreciate that the varieties of perennials and annuals that Sue selected are easy to care for, require little maintenance, and allows me more to spend sitting in my garden rather than working in my garden.
— John T Cunic
My husband and I have had the benefit of Sue’s creative designs in our yard. Her work is truly special. We look forward to working with her in the near future as she continues the transformation of our yard into an awe-inspiring place!
— Linda and Mike Pelosi
