Interviews
Alan Titchmarsh On His First Memory Of Gardening: 'I Was [Just] 18 Months Old'
Alan Titchmarsh is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most well-loved gardening personalities – he has been gracing our TV screens with horticultural advice for over 40 years now. After gaining several qualifications in Horticulture, Alan started his career at the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens in the 1970s, before moving into journalism and the rest, as they say, is history. It was a pleasure to speak to Alan to find out more about him and his love for all things horticulture. What’s Your First Memory Of Gardening? I remember being on my grandfather’s allotment when I was 18 months old,” Alan says. “I started gardening in our back garden in Yorkshire when I was 9-10 years old and built my own polythene greenhouse.” How Did Your Career In Horticulture Start? “I wanted to grow things,” he explains. “I left school at 15, having taken my Art O-Level a year early. “I became an apprentice in the local parks department nursery. I went to day-release classes for my City and Guilds exams, then onto the Hertfordshire College of Agriculture and, finally, to Kew Gardens, where I studied for three years for the Kew Diploma. Image provided by Paul Terry “I taught there as Supervisor of Staff Training for two years after completing the course, then I went into horticultural journalism. “Radio and TV soon followed.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? How Has It Shaped Your Outlook On Life? “It is vitally important to my sanity!” Alan jokes. “It helps me to retain a sense of proportion and to make a difference to the really important things in life – the custodianship of the natural world.” What Inspires You To Get Outside Gardening? “Fresh air, sunshine and the smell of growth.” Do You Have Any Secret Tips For The Garden? “Get out there a little and often so that it doesn’t become a slog,” he says. “Look at things, potter about and breathe deeply.” You’ve Obviously Had An Incredible Career. Do You Have Any Particular Career Highlights That Stand Out For You? “Making a garden for Nelson Mandela in 2000 was one highlight, but making a garden for anyone whose life will be changed by its existence is enormously worthwhile. Image provided by Steve Gill Photography “Through my work on ‘Love Your Garden’ for ITV we do just that – and have now made more than 100 gardens for people whose lives will be improved by their access to nature.” What Is A Surprising Garden-Related Fact About You That People Might Not Know? “I loathe large-flowered gladioli – except in church.” What’s Next For You? “I have a new book out at the end of August called ‘Chatsworth – The Gardens and the People Who Made Them’,” shares Alan. “I’m really pleased with it.” What Would You Say To Those Who Are Thinking Of Giving Gardening A Go? “Stop thinking and get stuck in,” he simply says. “Never be afraid of asking others for advice.”
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Landscape Architect Bunny Guinness On Her 35 Year Career In Horticulture
Working across both commercial and private projects, Bunny Guinness is an award-winning Landscape Architect who has run her garden design company for more than 35 years. She has worked across various TV and radio shows – sharing her vast horticultural knowledge with a wide audience. This includes 25 years as a panel member on Radio 4 BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time and a long-running gardening column in the Telegraph for 23 years. I spoke to Bunny as she was travelling to do a site visit and was lucky enough to also chat with her daughter Unity, who has followed in her mother’s footsteps in becoming a Landscape Architect. Please note that the imagery featured in this article is provided courtesy of Andrew Crowley. How Did You Get Into Horticulture? “It was a total mistake!” jokes Bunny. “A lot of my family were in Horticulture. My mother had a nursery and my uncle is David Austin, the rose breeder. “When I was a child, I used to find gardening a chore. I did have my own little veg plot when I was around 8 years old, but the main reason I got involved was because I was very much an outdoor kid.” How Did That Introduction Then Lead To A Career In Horticulture? “I went to the University of Reading to start a Food Science degree, but when I was there, I realised that it wasn’t for me. During this time, I met someone who was studying Horticulture at Reading and it sounded so much more suitable. “I took a year out and worked in Horticulture before going back to study Horticulture there. “I found that I liked the idea of garden design, but I then discovered the career of a Landscape Architect. You could design commercial spaces as well as private, so it seemed like a bigger field to me. “I went back to study a post-graduate course at University in Birmingham whilst working for a Landscape Architectural firm, which was brilliant. “I then set up on my own in 1986, about a year before I started my family. I think it was important for me to work for other firms first because I was dealing with quite big budgets, so it gave me the confidence I needed to start my own business. “It’s really nice to have different strings to your bow in this career,” she adds. “I do some writing and I have a YouTube channel. I really enjoy having different outlets.” What Does The Design Process Look Like For You? “We work in a very different way to most firms,” Bunny explains. “We deliver day jobs, where a client gets a survey of an area and we try and draw out plans until we find a design that the client is happy with. We’ll then go back and draw it up to scale in the office. “I find that this works well because you can do a million things with any plot, but it’s about how the client will use that space. It’s only when you’re immersed in their personal space that it’s easy to tease out what will work best. “Design is very much a logical process. You need to know what to get rid of, what to highlight, how it works with the property and, of course, the client.” Do You Have A Favourite Memory Of A Garden You’ve Designed? “We recently went to revisit a client who had drawn up the plan on his computer so that he could print it off and share it with his friends when they visited,” shares Bunny’s daughter Unity, who is also a Landscape Architect and works with her mother. “That really touched me, no one had ever done anything like that before. It’s always lovely going back to the gardens to see the client’s reactions.” “Repeat offenders are great,” Bunny adds. “I love it when you get to go back and do another design for someone if they’ve changed properties or their needs for the garden has changed. “Sometimes, we’ve done 3 generations of family gardens, which is always nice. You get to build such a great relationship with them that way.” Do You Have Any Standout Career Moments That Have Meant A Lot To You? “It’s really nice working with my daughter. Obviously working with a family member has its pros and cons, but we are friends which is great! “Unity also has huge strengths that I haven’t got. She runs the YouTube channel and creates all the computer designs from my freehand drawings. She is more modern in her design approach than me as she has a background in the arts as opposed to one in horticulture. “This means that she brings a fresh look to everything, which is great. Hopefully, it stops me from getting stuck in my old ways.” Do You Have Any Advice For Those Who Are Thinking Of A Career In Garden Design? “I think a good qualification is essential. “It took me 3 years to do my horticulture degree and then another 4 to qualify as a Landscape Architect, including the professional practice exam, which was a ridiculously long time, but it was well worth it to have both qualifications. “I remember when I was fully qualified and I was working that I wasn’t earning much at all and a friend serving at Harrods was earning far more than me. “Although in the early days, you might not be making lots of money, I think it is worth getting a good qualification because it gives you a good grounding and you can get a lot of really great experience from it. “I think it’s a fabulous career.” Do You Have Any Upcoming Projects That You’d Like To Share With Our Readers? “We’re about to start a podcast which we are looking forward to doing when we have a bit more time,” says Bunny. “We’ve got quite a nice community on YouTube now, so this just seems like a natural step for us.” To see more of her gardening tips and advice, you can find Bunny’s YouTube channel here.
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Sally Flatman Talks 'Our Plant Stories' And The Importance Of Community Through Gardening
Sally Flatman is the creator and host of Our Plant Stories, a podcast that tells the extraordinary stories of ordinary plants. Sally combines her love of audio and production (she worked at the BBC for over 34 years) with her passion for gardening – having achieved her RHS Level 2 Qualification in 2016. Learn all about Sally and the Our Plant Stories podcast in this interview. Please note that the imagery featured in this article is provided courtesy of Sally Flatman. How And When Did You Start Gardening? “I got into gardening because my parents were gardeners,” says Sally. “My Mum and Dad were always in our garden, which wasn’t very big. I can remember being out there with them and I started to pick things up. “The first time I think I really did it by myself was when I had just started my first job, working for BBC Radio Merseyside. I had an absolutely tiny balcony in my flat in Liverpool that I filled with pots and I loved it. “Once I had filled it with pots, you couldn’t really stand on it. It was my happy space. I haven’t stopped gathering plants since. “When I first moved to London, I ended up gardening outside the flat beneath me, as the couple who lived there generously let me keep my pots next to their bedroom window. “It took me a little while to move from growing plants in pots to the ground because I was so comfortable with container growing. “Eventually, I got my first garden and now I do both.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “Gardening is my happy place,” Sally says. “I love the cyclical nature of it. The great thing about gardening is if something wasn’t quite right this year, you can try again next year. It starts again so you can adapt your process. “My garden is a place where I feel relaxed and I enjoy the creativity of what I can do in that space.” You Have A Podcast Called Our Plant Stories. How Did The Idea For This Come About? “I am a Radio Producer and I worked for the BBC for 34 years in features and documentaries. I loved recording and editing. “However, I moved away from this by the end of my time at the BBC and ended up working in a completely different department. “At the same time, in 2016, I began to do my RHS Level 2 qualification and I really loved learning about plants. “During lockdown, I shared an office with my daughter who was working for a charity that had asked her to make a podcast. I helped her with editing this and it made me realise that I had forgotten how much I love editing. “Our Plant Stories brings together two passions of mine: a passion for audio and a passion for plants. “After I left the BBC in 2021, I spent quite a few months working out what a podcast might sound like for me and this gradually evolved into the structure I now have. “My episodes always begin with a story about a particular plant, which is then followed by a conversation with people who share the passion. They always end with learning about how to grow the plant.” “It’s storytelling through plants.” Do You Have A Favourite Episode From The Show? “That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child!” Sally laughs. “What struck me is that all of the stories are so varied. I love that for each episode, a conversation about a plant can end up being a discussion about something completely different. So no, I don’t have a favourite, but I love them all for different reasons.” Gardening Can Be A Lonely Hobby. How Important Is Formulating A Community Through Gardening? “I think it’s very important. “When I first did my qualification, I finally found a community of people that didn’t start to glaze over when I’d talk about seeds,” she jokes. “For me, my podcast is about finding this community worldwide. So many people share a passion for individual plants and I’ve come to realise that you can build great relationships from this. “I hope that the podcast brings people together and enables them to have these conversations.” Do You Have Any Words Of Wisdom For Aspiring Gardeners? “Go for it – you never know where it may lead. “Nurturing something is such a fun thing to do. Nobody gets it right the first time, so just learn from it and have a go.” What’s Next For You And The Podcast? “We’ve done 12 plant stories so far,” she explains. “Once a month, we’re releasing the offshoot episodes that delve a little deeper into the individual episodes. “I am also starting to research for season 2. I want to find as many stories as possible that we could follow up on and see where it takes us.” If you have a plant story that you’d like to share, please get in touch with Sally via her website or email her at sally@ourplantstories.com.
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Val Bourne: 'I Started Writing To Botanic Gardens For Seeds I Couldn't Find Anywhere Else'
Val Bourne is an award-winning gardener and writer who has been growing organically and without chemicals for over 60 years. She has written several books on the subject and has built up her reputation as ‘The Natural Gardener’. I got the opportunity to chat with Val about her career and why she is so adamant that we don’t need to use chemicals in our outdoor spaces. Please note that the imagery featured in this article is provided courtesy of Val Bourne. How Did You First Get Into Gardening? “I was a very noisy child who was full of energy and I had a twin brother who was the polar opposite,” shares Val. “Because of this, my Grandmother, who was a keen gardener, used to take me to the garden on sunny days. “She used to tell me stories about plants. For example, she told me how Aquilegia was named after an eagle and that Alchemilla was a magical plant that people used to use in experiments. She made plants seem really interesting. “I also got lots of hands-on experience from her. I used to have to collect the cabbage white caterpillars off of the brassicas. “I was meant to drop them into salted water, but I used to walk them up the back alley and put them down by other people’s gardens, which probably wasn’t very nice of me! “I was just born a gardener.” What Led You To A Career In Horticulture? “I always grew plants,” states Val. “By the time I was about 7 or 8, I was doing the garden at home and became completely immersed in it. “I used to look in plant catalogues and try to find particular plants in there that I then wanted to grow. I’d thrift through the seeds at Woolworths for ages! “I started writing to the Botanic Gardens and asked them for seeds that I couldn’t find anywhere else. “Eventually, I ended up in vegetable research – I kind of just fell into the career. I’ve always been organic and never used any chemicals because my grandmother never did. That’s just the way I started. So Your Whole Brand Has Been About That? “Exactly. Not only did I grow up as an organic gardener, but I also grew up as someone who was determined to stick to what I believed in. “I remember reading things in magazines that were just so wrong. They were clearly written by people who had no experience in a garden. I had all this gardening knowledge and I thought, I’ll just have a go at writing some articles and that was how I started. “I didn’t realise that I was completely different to almost everybody else because most people were obsessed with using chemicals and I never used them. I did a radio programme and I didn’t last very long on it, as nobody was interested in organic answers. “That’s when I decided that I was really going to go further with this. I was going to write about organic growing and the environment and not recommend fungicides just because the papers wanted me to. “I was 45 when I started garden writing and didn’t really care about pleasing people. If it worked, it worked, and if it didn’t, I would find something else. “Luckily, I didn’t have to.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “Gardening is about being out in the fresh air – it’s a very nurturing thing,” shares Val. “You learn to be quite philosophical because things don’t always work out. “It makes you more accepting of the natural world. You don’t have this idea that everything is going to be perfect and work out because you know you’re in the hands of the elements. “Being a gardener means you learn to adapt and understand that each year is different from the other. “I get such great pride from sowing a seed and watching it flower, especially because this doesn’t happen every year with some plants for me. “Like other people go to the cinema or to the pub, I garden. It’s everything to me.” Do You Have Any Career Highlights That You’d Like To Share? “Winning awards is such a nice feeling,” she says. “It was lovely to win GMG Journalist of the Year in lockdown. I didn’t expect to win it at all. “I really work hard, so being recognised was a real honour. I write from first-hand experience and I’m a hands-on writer, so it was nice to be awarded for that. “I used to get so much stick for being organic so it was enormously important for me to have people say that they liked what I was doing.” Have You Got Anything Exciting Coming Up? “I’ve got two new books in the pipeline, which I’m hoping will come off successfully,” says Val. “I can’t say what they are though, but they both have some organic elements to them. “I’m also helping Arne Maynard with a natural garden near Henley which I’m excited about. “I’m extremely lucky. I’m in my 70s and still have loads of things to say and do!” Do You Have Any Final Words Of Wisdom For Our Readers? “I have gardened without using any chemicals at all since I was 5 and I’ve probably had fewer problems in my garden than most people because I’ve built up food webs in my space. “It didn’t seem that important in 1995 when I started writing, but now wildlife is in a really bad state. Insects and birds are in decline1, so it’s really important for gardeners to garden in an organic way. “Don’t turn to chemicals – ever! They’ve done so much damage in the past. Our gardens are ecosystems and can be managed by sitting back and allowing wildlife to do its thing. “Just watch your garden and enjoy it.” References 1. The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey. (n.d.). Bugs Life: Kent Wildlife Trust. Retrieved June 28, 2023, from https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bugs-Matter-2021-National-Report.pdf
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How Sara Venn Launched Edible Bristol: Turning Unused Land Into Productive Spaces
Since the age of three, Sara Venn has been growing her own plants. This love of horticulture turned into a business venture in 2014, when Sara set up Edible Bristol, an organisation that aims to set up and maintain edible community gardens across the city. Since then, she has gone on to create over 60 outdoor spaces for the community of Bristol, but she’s not finished yet. I was lucky enough to speak to Sara myself. How Did You Get Into Gardening? “My next-door neighbour, who was my absolute hero, was a mad gardener,” says Sara. “When I was 3 years old, just before my mum had my brother, he had me helping him grow some flowers in the garden. We grew sweet peas and the first cut of them, we gave to my mum after she came out of hospital. “I have grown sweet peas every year since. I just became completely hooked by the fact that this tiny seed could produce such a beautiful flower.” What Led You To A Career In Horticulture? “If you’d said to me when I was 15 that I would have a career in horticulture, I would have laughed,” jokes Sara. “I never really knew what career I wanted. I did a degree in Fine Arts at university, but as soon as I finished, I had my first child and fell into the hospitality industry. “I wasn’t really enjoying my job, but I continued in the same career until I was around 25. Around that time, a colleague said to me: ‘All you do is talk about your garden, why don’t you go and pursue that?’. “It never occurred to me until that moment that I could even do that. I started doing my RHS Level 2 and at the same time, I wrote a letter to the closest nursery, begging them for a job – which they gave to me. “The rest, as they say, is history.” How Did Edible Bristol Begin? “I moved to Bristol in 2013 for a job I ended up hating,” she explains. “I fell into doing some work at a local farm where I was gardening with people. “I worked on a project with groups of mothers. Their love for the space they were tending really bought them together and I realised how much gardening can truly have an impact. “I then became aware of urban agriculture and an idea started to percolate in my mind. Here we were, in Bristol – the green capital of England – yet there was so much land and space that wasn’t being utilised. “I knew that sharing my skills and bringing people together for a shared cause could be something really worthwhile. “In January 2014, I tweeted about my idea for Edible Bristol and the response was insane. We’ve been going since that first tweet and now we’re 60 gardens in!” What Kind Of Work Do You Do With Edible Bristol? “We don’t make gardens that we will then leave for other people to look after because that doesn’t work. We wait for people to come to us and ask for help with their ideas about unused land. “Often, they aren’t sure where to start, so we support them through that journey and really listen to them. We spend quite a lot of time getting permission and doing co-designs with the community so that they get what they want but we can still maintain it. “We also do a lot of teaching too and help to guide people on what edible plants will work best for them. We often encourage people to start off small before they try and become too ambitious. “We focus on production and making spaces productive. We work a lot with local food banks to make sure the food is going to where it needs to.” What Kind Of Crops Do You Grow? “We are keen on finding crops that are culturally significant to people with access to our community spaces,” shares Sara. “Somali Sage is incredibly popular in our gardens. It’s a beautiful plant and something that reminds people of home, as we have a large Somali community in Bristol. “We grow a huge range of plants that will feed people and grow all the usual fruit trees, annual crops, herbs and perennial winter and summer vegetables. What Does Gardening Mean To You? “I come to gardening from an ecological perspective,” she says. “I was brought up by parents who were very aware of climate change, so my love for gardening goes alongside my love of nature. “People often talk about how we used to garden and how we do it now, but I feel like I’ve been doing it the same my whole life. “I’ve never dug anything up. Why would you, when you can pile a load of mulch around plants and let that do the work? “For me, gardening is just what I do, it’s a part of me. The notion that I might not be able to garden is lost on me, which is ironic because I’m a renter, so I’ve never been guaranteed a garden!” Do You Have Any Upcoming Projects? “Bristol Food Justice Week is coming up, which is run by Feeding Bristol and is something worth having a look at. Whether you’re gardening as a community or on an allotment, if you have spare food you can give away, there are ways to get involved. “We will also be hosting some winter talks online in the coming months, where we get amazing people in horticulture to come and talk to us about whatever they like. “It’s open to anyone, you don’t have to live in Bristol. They are always really fun.” You’ve Accomplished So Much. Do You Have Any Standout Moments? “When I was back in the nursery world, working on gardens at RHS Flower Shows that got gold medals was a really special feeling. “However, my real joy is gardening with people. Seeing people gradually come to realise how gardening can be the solution to so many problems is so special. “It has the power to bring people from all backgrounds together.” What Would You Say To Those Who Are Thinking Of Giving Gardening A Go? “Just do it,” says Sara. “That seems really simplistic, but you don’t need a lot to get started. “Find a local seed swap, get involved in what’s going on in your local community and you’ll be amazed at the help that comes along with it.”
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King Of Veg Gerald Stratford Reveals His #1 Top Tip For Gardeners
After starting his Twitter account at the start of the lockdown in 2020, Gerald Stratford shot to fame for sharing wholesome images of himself and the vegetables from his garden. Since then, he’s accumulated almost 500,000 followers across his social media platforms, released his own book ‘Big Veg’ and even featured in a campaign with Gucci.1 I was lucky enough to speak with Gerald about how it all began. Can You Tell Me A Little Bit About How You First Got Into Gardening? “I was about knee-high to a grasshopper, about four years old, I think,” Gerald says. “I used to follow my father around everywhere – he was a very good gardener. I used to just copy whatever he did. “One day, he gave me a packet of radish seeds and a small pocket of land, around the size of a dinner table, in his garden. He said: ‘You’ve been following me and seen how I do it, so now you go and do what I’ve done.’ So I did. “The first thing I would do every day would be run down to the garden and see if anything was growing on my patch. After about 7 or 8 days, there were some signs of life and I could see little green dots coming out of the soil. “Within a month, I pulled one of those radishes and took it to my mother who washed it. I dunked the radish in a tiny bit of salt and ate it, and I’ve been eating vegetables ever since.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “I’m an outdoor person. When I left school, I worked indoors for about 10 years and I didn’t like it, so I had to get a job outside. “I’ve always been a gardener and wherever I’ve lived, I’ve done a bit of gardening. “When I’m in the garden, I’m thinking of nothing else. All of my troubles, and I have troubles like everyone else, are not with me.” You’re Known On Social Media As ‘The King Of Veg’. How Did That Come About? “In February 2020, right when the pandemic started, I was talking to a friend who asked me if I’d ever thought of going on social media,” Gerald explains. “I hadn’t, so that night, I went and had a look at Twitter. “I wanted something that was pure and simple for me and my garden – nothing else. No football, no politics, just my garden. “I didn’t even know how to get onto Twitter. My nephew sorted that for me. I posted a couple of photographs a week and found a few friends. By May, I had around 96 followers and I was quite chuffed about that! “One day, I had a bucket of potatoes ready to harvest. My partner, Elizabeth, took a few photographs of me harvesting the potatoes. They were nothing special, just nice, home-produced, new potatoes. “Within minutes, my phone started buzzing and I didn’t know what was going on,” he laughs. “After a couple of hours, it was just non-stop. I even tried to hide my phone to stop it going off, but that didn’t work.” “I called my nephew again and he told me that I’d gone viral with my spuds. I’d gone from 96 followers to 9,000 in a matter of hours. To this day, I’ve got over 300,000 on Twitter. Collectively, across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, I’ve got around 500,000. “It’s just been a juggernaut ride since.” You Bring A Lot Of Joy To People’s Lives. What Does The Online Gardening Community Mean To You? “At first, I didn’t know what was happening – I really had no clue. But now, I’ve grasped it and understand it more. “If it makes people happy to send me questions or to talk about me in a nice way, I’m happy. I’m a very positive person and my glass is always half-full. Long may it continue. As long as I’ve got breath in my lungs, I’ll be nice to people. You Have Written Your Own Book, Big Veg. What Do You Think Is The Best Tip In There? “Patience,” Gerald simply says. “We all live a stressful life of running around and working, people are constantly doing things. “A garden and just a little bit of patience will be your saviour.” Do You Have Anything Exciting Coming Up? “I get lots of invites to exciting places,” he shares. “I’m going to Gardeners’ World Live in June and I’m at Tatton Park in July. “Still, whatever I’m asked to do will never overtake my garden, because without my garden, I’m nothing.” What Would You Say To Those Who Are Thinking Of Growing Their Own A Go? “Don’t try to do everything at once, just do a little bit at a time. “Spend 20 minutes doing one thing, then 20 minutes doing another; don’t try to do everything in a day. That way you won’t get bored or frustrated. “Just embrace it.” References 1. In The Garden With Gucci Off The Grid. (n.d.). Gucci. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.gucci.com/uk/en_gb/st/stories/gucci-equilibrium/article/gucci-off-the-grid-highsnobiety
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RHS Inclusivity And Diversity Ambassador Manoj Maldé: 'Gardening Is For Everyone'
Manoj Maldé worked in the fashion industry for almost 20 years before changing his career and establishing a now award-winning garden design business. He has since worked as a TV Presenter, became an Ambassador and Judge for the RHS – and has recently made history with his husband, becoming the first couple ever to marry at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We learn about Manoj and his fascinating background and career in his own words. How Did You First Get Into Gardening? “My childhood memories are of our home in Mombasa, where we had a massive balcony on the side of the house,” recalls Manoj. “That was our garden. “My dad had large containers made for the balcony where he grew roses, jasmine, birds of paradise and various other plants. “My own journey with gardening started when my brother, Nish, decided he wanted to create a vegetable plot at the end of the garden, here at our home in the UK. He recruited me and my other brother to help dig the plot and prepare the soil. “It was Nish who showed me how to sow seeds and nurture plants. I used to help with the watering and weeding. “I guess, like most children, my journey into gardening started with sowing those first seeds and that, in turn, sowed a seed in me to garden and nurture nature.” What Led You To A Career In Garden Design? “I worked in the fashion industry for 18 years and climbed the ladder, eventually became design director,” he explains. “I could see where the fashion industry was heading and it was not a pretty picture. “I didn’t want to become a miserable old man in an industry that was becoming more and more about margins which was killing the creativity, so I decided it was time to do something for myself. “I still wanted to be creative. I wanted to work with colour, proportions and textures. I had always enjoyed gardening. “My husband had already started his own landscape maintenance business, so it made perfect sense to look at garden design as a second career. I had certain transferable skills which I brought over to garden design.” You Got Married In May 2023 In Your Garden At The Chelsea Flower Show. Can You Share What That Meant To You And How It Came About? “Clive and I have been together for 33 years. “In 2017, I created a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show called Beneath a Mexican Sky. Little-known to me, Clive had approached the RHS about us getting married in the garden. However, time was short to get everything organised.” “I believe some things are just supposed to happen when the time is perfect for that occasion to take place. Image Provided By Jonathan Buckley “I got asked by the RHS to create the RHS & Eastern Eye Garden of Unity. The garden was about bringing communities together harmoniously, so it seemed fitting that Clive and I should marry in the garden that I was about to create. “I asked the RHS if this would be possible and they agreed immediately. As the RHS Ambassador for Inclusivity and Diversity, it was equally important to show the world that gardening is for everyone. “Race, social class, skin colour, creed, faith, religion and sexuality does not come into the world of gardening. “We all garden, whether it is growing a few herbs on a windowsill, having a house plant, a balcony or a back garden, it is all gardening and anyone can do it.” What Is Your Process For Designing Gardens? What Are You Inspired By? “I have Indian heritage and I was born in Mombasa, so colours are something that play an important role in my designs,” says Manoj. “My inspiration is drawn from various avenues. “I love to look at architecture and also the different cultures and communities around the world. When I go on holiday, I’m always drawn to the traditional artisan skills of the people. “In my design process, I often start with a lot of images. These will then be edited to create a mood board. Image Provided By Jonathan Buckley “The mood board becomes the start of my inspiration and I allow myself the flexibility to change some of the images as the design starts to develop. This mood board will also inspire the colour palette of the garden. “Pencil sketches are next. These will be shapes on paper and there will be a lot of sketches until something emerges that I feel works as a garden.” Gardening Can Traditionally Be Quite A Lonely Hobby. How Important Is Community When It Comes To Gardening? “With more and more people living in apartments, community gardens are becoming ever more important,” Manoj explains. “They provide a space to create friendships, to network and to learn from each other. “They provide a community with a sense of belonging and being part of something. “Community gardens also provide that all-important outdoor space to connect with nature which so many people now do not have access to. “We all know how important gardens are for our state of mind.” You’ve Accomplished So Much As A Garden Designer. Do You Have Any Standout Moments? “There have been so many wonderful highlights in the past few years,” he says. “Qualifying as the first Indian RHS Judge and being made an RHS Ambassador is definitely up there for me. “Never did I think that I would get asked to work on TV. That has been a standout career moment that has led to some lovely projects and connections. “Being asked to create the RHS feature garden on Main Avenue has also been a very proud moment for me and it is humbling to hear so much positive feedback from the public about the garden.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “I was in a highly stressful career before. Gardening has shown me that there are certain things more important in life than others, like slowing down, making family time and living within my means. “When I was in the fashion industry, there was a great need for materialistic things. Although I still love and appreciate beautiful things, they do not seem quite as important. “Being in this industry has shown me that everything doesn’t always have to be so manicured in the garden. In fact, it’s okay to have a few weeds growing. “Gardening is my way of connecting with the natural world.” What’s Next For You, Manoj? “I have been approached by a publisher to write my first book. I love writing blogs, so this is the icing on the cake. “The book launches next year and I am thoroughly enjoying putting it together with the publishers. I am very proactive in how I want the book to look. “I cannot wait to walk into a bookstore and see the book sitting on a shelf with my name on it – I think it will feel a little surreal! “It has been hard work to get to where I am in my career but it has been worth it and I have a lot to be grateful for, as well as lots of lovely people to thank who have really believed in me.” What Would You Say To Aspiring Gardeners? “For anyone thinking about giving gardening a go, my advice is to just go for it,” Manoj says. “Don’t think too long and hard. “You will be amazed at what a life-changing experience it can be. It is never too late to connect with nature.”
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Dave Zubraski: Do This If You're Just Starting Out In Garden Photography
Having photographed flowers and gardens for over 25 years, Dave Zubraski has rightfully established himself as one of the UK’s leading horticultural photographers. His work has been used in various magazines and publications worldwide, as well as in advertising campaigns, books and calendars. I spoke to Dave to understand how he became interested in this career path and what advice he has for those looking to begin a career in garden photography. Imagery featured in this article has been provided with permission by Dave Zubraski. What Led You To A Career In Garden Photography? “I went to an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe’s flower photographs and found them very inspiring,” Dave shares. “I then simply started my own career by sending some flower images to Carol Sharp’s photographic garden library ‘Flower Photos'”. What Is It About Plants That Make You Passionate About Photographing Them? “I just find plants and flowers incredible. The way that nature’s colours harmonise with the patterns and shapes – there are endless variations. I also love the fact that you can work on your own. Early in the morning on an overcast day, everything just looks great. There are often no people and you can just hear the birds singing. “Everything feels fresh and alive. It is very rewarding in a creative way.” How Do You Go About Capturing The ‘Perfect Image’? “I often set up a diffuser first if it is a very bright day and then decide which lens would be most suitable,” Dave explains. “I use a macro for close-up shots, a telephoto if I am standing back to get more of the plant in the shot or a wide-angle lens. “Next, I go about finding the best angle and aperture. I often take several shots with different apertures and decide later which one I like best. Using something like F2.8 or F4 is great to blur the background, which may be distracting from the main subject. “The perfect image could be many different things, depending on what I am shooting. With flowers and plants, I try to show the most interesting features. It could be the pattern on the petals or leaves or the way the colours merge. “I try to get an angle that gives a bit of movement to the shot so it doesn’t look too static.” Do You Have Any Favourite Plants To Photograph? Why Are They Your Favourite? “It is difficult to choose a favourite, but something like the Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’ would definitely be one. When you look closely the shape, colour and detail of the tiny spikes, it’s truly amazing. “Nigella damascena is another favourite. The protective cage-like structure that forms around the seed head is interesting. “I also like to photograph the lovely Fritillaria meleagris. It just looks so balanced and delicate.” What Has Been One Of Your Favourite Experiences During Your Career? “Early on in my career, an image of a Narcissus I took was used by Sainsbury’s. “One day, around Easter time, I drove into the local Sainsbury’s car park and the image was used on very large banners across the car park. Inside the store, they had used the same image on Easter posters and packaging. “I thought it looked great.” Can You Explain Some Of The Challenges With Garden Photography? What Difficulties Have You Faced? “The weather can be challenging. Too bright, too windy, too rainy – there is always something to complain about! “Getting in very early can sometimes be difficult. I prefer to start around sunrise.” How Do You Go About Photographing Plants? What Is Unique About Your Process? “I don’t really think there is anything particularly unique about the way I work,” Dave simply states. “I just try to make the plants look the best and interesting as I can.” What’s Next For You? “I hope to carry on working and improving and try and stay as fit as I can. Really, I view every day I go out as a new project, as I find it all very enjoyable and creative. “I just got the cover photo on the new 2024 Bluten Bilder Flower Calendar – it looks great!” What Advice Would You Give To Those Thinking About Getting Into Photography? “I think it is the same as anything else,” he shares. “If you are really interested in doing something and you put all your energy and time into it, you will eventually succeed. “Try and study other photographers’ work and read as much as you can about it. As with everything, be original and create your own style.”
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Kathy Slack On Growing Your Own ‘From The Veg Patch’ To Use In The Kitchen
Kathy Slack is an award-winning garden writer and chef whose passion lies in growing her own vegetables and utilising them in her kitchen. In fact, Kathy has helped thousands of UK home growers to try growing their own, with her debut cookbook, ‘From The Veg Patch’, being hailed as one of the best cookery books released in 2021.1 I spoke with Kathy to find out where this love of vegetables came from and to uncover any tips from the garden she has developed over the years. Imagery featured in this article is provided courtesy of Stephanie McLeod. How Did You First Get Into Growing Your Own Vegetables? “I’m a cook who loves nature, so I suppose it was inevitable,” Kathy shares. “I’d been working in advertising in London for over a decade until, predictably, depression took hold and burnout got the better of me. I found solace and peace in the garden and started, almost accidentally, growing some vegetables. “As soon as that first seedling appeared, I was hooked.” Why Are You So Passionate About Growing Your Own? “It’s a kind of therapy for me. When things get too much, I head out to the garden, tinker with the beans, chat to the lettuce and pull up a few weeds. “Seeing things grow and watching nature carry on reminds me that, even when you feel like the world is falling down around your ears, there is hope, life and beauty all around. “All that from growing a radish!” What Are Your Favourite Vegetables To Grow In The Garden And Why? “I don’t have lots of space so I focus on the things I really like to eat. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people grow stuff they don’t love. “I also prioritise crops that taste significantly better when they are homegrown, like tomatoes and carrots. I don’t grow many cabbages because they take up so much space, but I love kale and can pack it in more.” Do You Have Any Advice On Crop Rotation? “Honestly, I’m nervous about confessing this, but I rarely bother with it,” admits Kathy. “I have small raised beds which I add homemade compost to every year, plus I tend to mix up all my veg anyway, growing peas amongst the brassicas and potatoes amidst the courgettes. “I think it’s important if you have big patches of one crop, but when growing on a small-scale, haphazard growing like mine seems to survive without it.” What’s Next For You? “It’s the festival season for me, so I’ll be going around food and literary festivals all over the UK to deliver cookery demos of recipes from my cookbook, From The Veg Patch,” she says. “Come autumn, I’ll be back at my desk writing an exciting new project and working on my new newsletter, Tales From The Veg Patch.” What Would You Say To Those Who Are Thinking About Giving Vegetable Growing A Go? “Get growing! Even if it’s just a pot of basil. “The feeling of joy when you see a seed germinate is second only to the thrill of plucking the fully grown harvest and biting into it. “To be eating something that didn’t exist 8 or 10 weeks ago and having watched it grow is truly magical – and highly addictive!” References 1. Team, D. (2021, October). The 25 best cookbooks of 2021. Delicious. Magazine. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/this-years-best-cookbooks/
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