James Hitchmough is an expert in the design, ecology and a management of herbaceous vegetation. The theory and practical techniques he developed have been used to make meadows and meadow-like communities at prestigious sites such as the Eden Project in Conrnwall, the 2012 Olympic Park in London, Oxford Botanica Garden and a series of projects with the Royal Horticultural Society.
He is Emeritus Professor of Horticultural Ecology at the University of Sheffield. In 2024, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of the Society of Garden Designers.