Since moving to Spring Valley, Paul Hamill has transformed what was once a barren yard into a lush, multilevel series of garden rooms -- perfect for the fundraisers he regularly throws to support causes as diverse as The Kennedy Center’s Washington National Opera, DC SCORES, the DC non-profit that provides soccer and poetry workshops to historically marginalized youth, and Street Sense Media, which offers economic opportunities to those experiencing homelessness.

Paul says the garden and the parties are both wonderful ways of “watching things grow through the seasons, helping things grow.”

“Compared to where my background started,” he explains, “I’ve done very, very well and I just want to give back. Friends of mine all work for nonprofits and charities and this is just a relatively easy way of just giving back and having fun too—getting people together. The first year I was here during Covid it was: 'Let’s just see if people will come. Will people come? Will it be fine?’ And it went amazingly well.”

Paul, who began his career in Bath for the British Ministry of Defense, came to Washington through a circuitous route that led through Iraq, Afghanistan, and eventually to Tampa, Florida, where he worked for the US Central Command. He eventually ended up in DC advising on national security and climate issues for John Kerry. He now consults for numerous governments.

"One of the things I absolutely love about this country, and it's the primary reason I still stay here, is people care about the neighbors. And they fundamentally believe they have to give back personally -- whether that's doing some work, doing a phone bank, writing a check. Whatever it is, people do that all over the country and is remarkable. In Western and Eastern Europe, it’s like that is the government’s role. But here it’s like: How can I help? What can I do to help? It’s one of the things I love about America. It’s the way Americans support each other. When faced with a problem the first thing they ask is, 'How can we help?' ”

When Paul moved to Spring Valley just a week before Covid shutdowns, his home had a small patio in the back. The rest was scrubby grass and a few bedraggled shrubs. Moving from U Street, he was delighted to finally have a yard: he has two beloved dogs — Bond and Moneypenny (whom readers met in our December issue). Paul remembers that the yard’s transformation all started with a dinner party. “There was an older gentleman, and he found it difficult leaving, so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll have to put some gravel in.’ That was the first step. Then, I thought the grass was terrible, especially having dogs.”

Nor, he says, was the climate great for grass because of the deep shade from a large tree in back. The tree in question is a majestic Willow Oak, one of the largest in the neighborhood. 

As he considered his yard through long days of Covid, he became enamored with the project. YouTube garden shows soon replaced his daily habit of cable news. His morning routine became coffee with Linda Vater, an Oklahoma woman YouTuber who detailed the tips she learned while turning her own yard into a garden masterpiece. He also joins the several million people who each day tune into 20-minute Garden Answers tutorial by Oregonian Laura LeBoutillier.

Interestingly, after laying the gravel — and before installing any plants — he got the idea from one of the shows to put in a patch of artificial turf. “It’s better for the environment because you don't need to water it and you just put it in once,” he says. Excited to incorporate plants, he placed a flower bed in the middle of the turf. After that his planting took off. His garden now is luxurious with plants — common and exotic. Roses and lilies, coleus and begonias intertwine with birds of paradise, figs, olives, melons, and enough saffron to cook with the whole year. There’s a fishpond, a small bridge, three fireplace/pits and garden ornaments — gargoyles, artwork, and a British coat of arms. After all, though now a died-in-the wool Spring Valley-er, he hails from Manchester.