I am a plantswoman with over three decades of professional experience in the field of horticulture and have a background in garden design. My journey in gardening began in childhood, nurtured by my father who allocated me a small plot in our large vicarage garden.

 

I pursued a formal education in horticulture at Kingston Maurward College of Agriculture and Horticulture in the early 1990s, where I completed City and Guild courses in Horticulture, Design, and Garden Restoration. This period marked a significant phase of personal and professional growth, as I balanced my studies with the demands of raising three young children.

 

After college, I ran a number of horticultural businesses. Initially, a garden design partnership, and some years later a garden maintenance and development business. My team and I, comprising six skilled female gardeners, managed a diverse range of projects from modest suburban spaces to extensive country estates. Our mission was two-fold: to take care of these gardens but also to assist our clients in realising the full potential of their outdoor spaces with new plants or planting schemes. 

 

More recently, I have worked in a family-owned nursery and garden centre  in Dorset. Here, I spearheaded the development of the herbaceous department, carefully curating a selection of interesting plant varieties and particularly plants for pollinators. 

 

Gardening is more than a profession to me; it’s a source of deep joy and passion. My approach extends beyond just plants to include a keen appreciation for garden structure. I view a garden’s layout as its essential foundation, setting the stage for the beauty of the plants to unfold with each season. In my eyes, gardening is the art of layering. You need to start with the layout or ‘bone structure’ of the garden, then introducing carefully chosen shrubs and trees, and finally enhancing it all with the vibrant, joyful beauty of flowering plants. My gardening ethos is organic and creating gardens where wildlife will thrive is at the heart of everything I do.