Interviews
BBC Gardener Of The Decade Katherine Crouch Shares Her Design Inspirations
Winner of the BBC’s Gardener of the Decade, Katherine Crouch is a multi-award-winning Garden Designer based in Somerset. Since 2000, she has run her own Garden Design business and continues to provide her services to a large number of private and commercial clients across the south of England. I spoke to Katherine about her garden design inspirations and some exciting projects in the pipeline. Note that imagery in this interview was provided with permission by Katherine Crouch. What Are Your Earliest Memories Of Gardening? “At 2 years old I remember picking petals off a daisy, then at 6, my aunty Molly showed me the magic of an oriental poppy bud slowly splitting and unfurling from crumpled to smooth,” Katherine shares. “I can picture my grandma taking me on country walks, telling me the names of wildflowers and picking blackberries. I remember growing my first broad beans aged 8.” What Led You To A Career In Garden Design? “I always wanted to design something for the outdoor but not buildings like my architect mother!” she says. “There were very few garden designers in the 1970s and, as far as I knew, no Garden Design degrees back then, so I went to Glasgow School of Art (with a carload of plants in pots) and studied Product Design, then went abroad for a few years. “I did years of garden maintenance and study after this and really honed in on my craft. “18 years after graduating, I won BBC Gardener of the Year in 1999 and after the programme was televised, the phone leapt off the hook. I planned my first garden only 3 weeks after my son was born and just kept going after that. “I won BBC Gardener of the Decade in 2008 and Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2013 for a display in the Evolving Garden zone for Kings Seeds, showing the changing trends of growing from seed since the first ever Chelsea Flower Show.” What Inspires Your Design Process? “I am inspired by the potential and constraints. First, the clients’ needs, then the ergonomics of safe routes to destinations and what they want to do when they get there. Then, how those elements are to be constructed, from what and by whom. “After that, soil, aspect, climate, taste and budget all lead to a suitable palette of plants – and everyone wants low maintenance! However, I spend at least 80% of my time with the client, supplier and landscaper liaison, mostly on hard landscaping material issues, drawing them and planning the project. “Keeping a robust paper trail is my least favourite job and not at all inspiring. If you want to be a Garden Designer just because you want to work with plants all day, this may not be the job for you. “When I was a newbie, I used to split my time between garden maintenance and design, but now I just lay out the planting schemes, monitor projects in progress, give talks or consultations and draw at home.” Do You Have A Particular Favourite Memory Of A Garden You Have Designed? “To pick just one, I’d say the hardy exotic pub garden at the Five Dials Inn, Horton, that I built 10 years ago and still frequent,” shares Katherine. Describe A Typical Day In Your Working Life. “Today I got up, walked the dog, checked emails, did a half-day consultation with a new client, collected A1 plan prints, confirmed a talk booking, sent out invoices and finished a planting plan! “Each day is different and busy.” Do You Have Any Upcoming Projects That You’d Like To Share? “The survey has just been completed for a garden in south Somerset on a slope with views of Dorset,” explains Katherine. “The brief has been compiled and I will start drawing first ideas soon. “A large flat garden near Taunton has also had the concept plan approved. I have just completed 7 years of design and project monitoring for a large garden and I shall be interfering for years, with any luck. “Next week I will be placing over 1000 plants on a steep bank in Devon. Phew!” And Finally, Can You Summarise What Gardening Means To You In Just 3 Words? “Permanently dirty fingernails.”
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Nicola Macnaughton On Using The Principles Of Permaculture In Garden Design Projects
Known to her followers as The Bonnie Gardener, Nicola Macnaughton is a Professional Horticulturist who completed her RHS qualifications at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Nicola now works as a Freelance Garden Writer and is also volunteering at Bearsden in Bloom as a Horticultural Consultant, a role she has held since 2022. I spoke with Bonnie about her journey into the world of horticulture and her golden rule for garden design. How Did You First Get Into Gardening? “When my sisters and I were little, my parents gave each of us our own section of the garden to look after,” she shares. “We always spent time in the garden at weekends. “In my early 20s, I rediscovered my love of gardening when I got an allotment. It was very overgrown and full of horsetail, but I spent all of my spare time there and learned how to propagate seeds and grow my own fruit and vegetables.” How Did This Then Lead To A Career In Horticulture? “When I got my first allotment, my mum taught me everything she knew about how to grow vegetables from seed,” explains Nicola. “The allotment sparked such a huge passion in me for plants and I developed this insatiable desire to learn everything I could. “I was working in a corporate job at the time, but I decided to my Level 2 in Horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. I studied in the evenings and at weekends. “After I completed the course, I plucked up the courage to leave my corporate job and got a job with a commercial gardening company. That was the beginning of my career in gardening – strimming, mowing and weeding! “I worked for that company for a year before starting up my own garden maintenance business. Over the years, that has evolved very organically from maintenance into planting and garden design, which are the two services I offer now.” What Is Your Process For Designing? “It’s a mixture of the practical client Q&As, site assessments and surveys, with the creative – which involves getting a feel for the space and its surroundings. “Every garden is unique and each client has their own set of requirements. It is my job to get curious about all of these things and bring everything together to create a design that suits the individuals who will be using the garden.” What Inspires Your Practice? “I am inspired more and more by nature and the surroundings of the garden that I am designing,” says Nicola. “I live in the countryside, so the gardens I am designing locally will draw inspiration from the granite of the rock and the naturalistic plantings of the hills, including lots of grasses and heathers. “I need to spend time in the space alone and get a feel for the environment and what it is asking me to do before I start work on a new design.” Do You Have Any Golden Rules For Garden Design? “Ask the garden what it would like you to do to it, rather than asking yourself what you would like to impose on it. I am really inspired by Permaculture principles such as observing and interacting and producing no waste.” What Does A Working Day Usually Look Like For You? “I’m always aspiring to have more structure in my working days, but no two are the same,” she states. “I consider myself to be a gardener who designs rather than a garden designer, so it is vital for me to keep my hands in the soil and to have a regular practice of gardening. “I spend at least two working days a week maintaining gardens that I have worked in for years and have an ongoing relationship with. On other days I visit new sites, meet new clients, measure up gardens and go home to create scaled drawings and undertake designs. “I do my best work early in the morning when all is quiet and still – that is when my brain is at its best and I can think clearly. “I also come up with my best ideas when I am out walking my dogs, so I often come home and scribble them down after a long walk.” What’s Next For You? “I became a mother 6 months ago, so my priority is on how I can develop a business that works around me and my baby’s needs. “I am looking to develop an online course to help people get into growing their own herbs and gardening – watch this space!” What Advice Do You Have For Those Thinking Of Giving A Career In Horticulture A Go? “It will feel very scary initially but just do it,” Nicola advises. “Once you have entered into the world of gardening for a living you will never look back – gardening isn’t work, it’s play!”
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Head Gardener Lachlan Rae On Working With A World-Renowned Plant Collection
Lachlan Rae is an experienced Gardener who has spent almost 15 years working in the horticultural industry. Having cut his teeth with an RBGE Diploma in Plantsmanship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Lachlan has since appeared as a judge on More4’s Garden of the Year – sandwiched between his work as a Head Gardener and Horticultural Consultant. We talk with Lachlan to discover more about his career and explore some of his practical learnings to-date. Imagery featured in this interview was provided with permission by Lachlan Rae. Where Did Your Journey With Gardening Begin? “I was 17 when I left school and I wasn’t sure what to do at all,” Lachlan shares. “I worked in a butcher shop for a little while and realised that wasn’t the right direction for me. I was then pushed towards a land-based college that was local. “They offered forestry farming, horticulture and equine studies – all of those sorts of land-based educational opportunities. On a whim, I chose horticulture and absolutely loved it. “I’ve been working in the horticultural industry ever since!” What Are Some Of Your Favourite Experiences From During This Time? “A number of prominent places, people and establishments come to mind, but there’s no one thing that has completely influenced my career,” he says. “I think observing and being in different horticultural contexts has helped me to continually develop. “I spent a couple of years at the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh after doing a couple of seasonal positions as a groundsman. Working and studying within a collection of plants which is world-renowned was pretty special. “The gardens I’ve worked in since have been mainly country estate gardens and I’ve worked up to Head Gardener level. Having a broad depth of different experiences across a range of gardens ranging from Scotland to Brighton has been really important. “All of my experiences accumulatively have helped to curate my own tastes in a garden.” What Are The Biggest Lessons Horticulture Has Taught You? “Definitely patience at times!” he jokes. “In many instances, you don’t get the end result. “Also, valuing outdoor spaces and the context in which I work is something that horticulture has taught me. “Horticulture has taught me to see the importance of the plant world and put change at the forefront of my work. I’m trying to align myself so that the way I garden is not impacting on the environment.” What Does A Typical ‘Working Day’ Look Like For You? “It’s pretty varied and I deliberately do it that way. I made the decision about 1.5 years ago to start working for myself, which is nice because it means I can decide what I’m doing and keep it interesting. “That was one of the difficulties I faced when working in one garden, as seasonally, the variation wasn’t always there. Often, people think the summer season is amazing, but it’s actually quite boring because all you do is mow lawns, cut edges and do all the fiddly jobs to keep the garden looking nice. “I’m not tied to one garden anymore, so I still do this, but at a lesser capacity. I now advise garden owners on how to manage and style their gardens, both short and long-term, to get the best out of the resources available to them. “I also do some plant and design work and maintenance on larger gardens.” What Are Some Of The Challenges Of A Career In Horticulture? “Finance is an obvious one,” Lachlan explains. “It’s no surprise that working in practical horticulture is expensive. “Also, if you look into the realities of what is expected of myself and other Horticulturists who are working at a high level, the balance of the practical combined with the expected knowledge of plants and soil, as well as doing it creatively, is so challenging. “Promoting the skill that is involved with professional horticulture is a goal of mine.” What Is Your Best Gardening Tip? “The best tip I could give to any gardener is to continue to try and learn about plants, including their identification, their upkeep and their habits,” he shares. “Knowing as much as you can about plants and learning about their taxonomy will, in turn, enable you to use them to the best of your ability in a garden.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “Gardening is my life, which isn’t by deliberate manufacture! “It pretty much dictates everything I do. It’s how I make my living, which is a huge part of it, but it also seeps into every other part of my life. “I get home after work and I will put my kids to bed then go and look around the garden. First thing in the morning, I’m out there having my coffee. I’ve very fortunate that I take absolute pleasure in my job.” What’s Next For You? “Much of my work is private, so I have to be fairly sensitive to that. I do share small snippets of my work online. “I’m looking forward to pursuing more avenues in the future. I am hoping to continue to develop my business and am always open to new work. “It’s all about continuing to make sure that I enjoy doing what I’m doing.”
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Jacquie Felix-Mitchell: Experiments In The Garden With Devon Landscape Designer
Jacquie Felix-Mitchell is the founder of Oasis Garden Design, an artisan garden design studio based in Devon. She is also a public speaker and has hosted events at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as writing for a number of UK gardening publications. Read on for my conversation with Jacquie as we explore her career in her own words. What Are Your Earliest Memories Of Gardening? “My earliest memories of gardening are in the small back yard of the house where I grew up in Bristol,” Jacquie says. “My parents came from the West Indies in answer to the call for people to come and work here to fill the gap in the labour market. My parents grew tomatoes, runner beans and other vegetables. “I was more interested in growing a lawn. With my father’s permission, I bought some grass seeds, raked over some of the ground and planted them, full of hope and expectation. “Years later, when I had my own home, I started to develop more of an interest in architectural plants particularly.” What Led You To A Career In Garden Design? “A graduate of English and European Literature, I previously worked in PR and communications, with roles including working for a London upmarket glossy, a Bristol design agency, a large Metropolitan Borough Council in Yorkshire, The BBC and Criminal Justice in Devon. “Garden wise, whilst working in PR in Devon, I had a courtyard garden, where I experimented with evergreen planting in particular, before moving on to the garden belonging to the wing of a former Victorian villa, where I lived in South Devon. “I developed this garden into an oasis of architectural planting which jostled for attention with English Country favourites. It was an architect friend who initially suggested that I move into garden design. “I brushed off the idea initially, for fear of ruining my love of all things garden, before giving it some serious consideration. I took the plunge and did a garden design course at Bicton College in east Devon and an RHS course in Practical Horticulture at RHS Rosemoor. “After that, I set up shop as it were and started my artisan garden design studio, Oasis Garden Design, based in Devon.” What Does Your Process For Designing Gardens Look Like? What Are You Inspired By? “I always start with the client,” she explains. “I send them an initial questionnaire to scope their needs and wishes, likes and dislikes, as well as an honest look at their budget, which naturally has an influence on the design. “This, together with scoping the garden, its aspect and surroundings, is crucial. It’s also important to have a really good initial chat with the client. You have to feel that you can both work together well and have a good relationship. “Having a proper chat brings out information, thoughts and comments that help to personalise the design and make sure that it’s right for the client. “Inspiration can sometimes come from the smallest things, from the style of the house, the curve of the land, the client’s favourite colour or hobbies.” Do You Have A Particular Favourite Memory Of A Garden You Have Designed? “I guess the first garden I designed for a client has to be one of my favourites,” Jacquie says. “The upright silver birch that I used both for interest and screening in this cottage garden in Totnes grows into gorgeousness each year. “I’m also rather proud of the art deco-inspired steps I designed for a much larger plot elsewhere, in a project where I learned the importance of communication between client, designer and landscaper. “I particularly enjoyed designing planting plans for a large walled garden belonging to a property in the New Forest.” What Does A Typical Working Day In The Life Look Like For You? “I work part-time as a Garden Designer,” she explains. “A working day could involve discussing a potential new design with a client and site visits to scope a design, before going back to my shepherd hut to work on a design. “I use a mixture of hand drawing and computer-aided design to develop visuals and concepts. I also spend time putting mood boards together for clients, creating garden consultation reports, and producing information for landscapers – when hard landscaping features in a garden design. “I also do occasional workshops. I do quite a lot of garden design talks and presentations for groups and organisations, which include garden clubs, the Women’s Institute, U3A and others. “I loved the talk I did at Toby Buckland’s Spring Garden Festival –Toby Fest – at Powderham in Devon this year. It went down a storm with visitors. “I still do little bits of PR work and loved my time at RHS Chelsea this year, working for Project Giving Back to raise awareness of the support they give to Garden Designers to build gardens for a variety of good causes. “I have also hosted the award-winning Blue Peter soil garden, designed by Juliet Sargeant at RHS Chelsea 2022. So as you can see, I don’t really have a typical day!” Do You Have Any Secret Tips Or Hacks For The Garden? “The secret to a good garden? Repetition, repetition, repetition.” What’s Next For You? “I’m currently working on a fairly modest project to create a low-maintenance, accessible garden for a client with limited mobility,” Jacquie shares. “It celebrates a Balinese style and level changes. I’ve just completed the design phase and the build is due to start in the new year.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “I have lived by the written and spoken word for most of my career, yet when asked why I love gardening, I am often overwhelmed and have to pause before I respond. “It’s the feeling of joy, peace and freedom that gardening gives me. It fills my soul with a calm and release, and utter contentment.”
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Claudia de Yong On Her Award-Winning Show Garden At Hampton Court Flower Show
Claudia de Yong is an award-winning Garden Designer and the recipient of various accolades, including a Gold Medal at Hampton Court Flower Show and, more recently, Best in Show at BBC Gardener’s World Live. Claudia has worked in the industry for over twenty years and also has experience with garden writing, penning for gardening publications such as Houzz UK. In this interview she shares her design process, her favourite garden design work and details of a large planting project she’s currently working on. Imagery featured in this article is provided with permission by Claudia de Yong. Where Did Your Journey With Gardening Begin? “From a very young age, I was fascinated with watching cress seeds develop on wet tissue on our kitchen window sill at home,” Claudia shares. “This soon escalated to growing seeds in little pots or window boxes, filling my room with anything green. “I always like being outside and at every opportunity loved to climb trees and make things from foraged vegetation.” From That, What Led You To A Career In Garden Design? “The love of the window boxes stayed with me through school and developed into a great pocket money earner which then led to a small business opportunity. “Years later, having moved out to the countryside where I created my own cottage-style garden complete with pond, a chance conversation with a neighbour’s gardener led me to designing an award-winning show garden at Hampton Court Flower Show!” What Does Your Process For Designing Gardens Look Like? “Further to initial meetings and site visits involving long conversions with the client, I produce a line-drawn plan with measurements and dimensions which I then convert to an artistic impression,” she says. “I find this helps to visualise the finished design. “Each garden is completely unique and the inspiration more than often comes from the surrounding landscape and the architecture that sits within the space. “The garden has to blend seamlessly with the existing environment.” Do You Have A Particular Favourite Memory Of A Garden You Have Designed? “My favourite memory was designing and winning the Tudor Rose at Hampton Court Flower Show,” muses Claudia. “The garden was centred around a large pond, as many of my show gardens were, and filled with tropical plants, including water lilies in stunning colours as well as enormous Lotus plants. “I was asked so many times what the Lotus flower was that I had it printed on my T-shirt while standing at the front of the garden throughout the show days!” What Does A Typical Day In Your Working Life Look Like? “My day is a mixture of sitting at a laptop designing, making lists of plants, researching different materials, sourcing from nurseries all over the country as well as site visits,” she shares. “No two days are the same.” What Does Gardening Mean To You? “Gardening is more than my everyday work,” Claudia explains. “It’s not only a passion for me but is also so important for my own wellbeing. I am a creative person and also very visual, so being outside and surrounded by nature is incredibly uplifting. “There is simply nothing better than literally getting your hands dirty!” What’s Next For You? “I am currently working on a large planting project which is keeping me very busy. I’m visiting growers across the North-West of England, North Wales and beyond, sourcing everything from trees to wildflowers. “As well as darting about the countryside looking for flora, I am also seeking out local artisans and unusual products, new and vintage, for my online little garden shop and the various fairs I attend around the country.”
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Molly Hollman Provides An Insight Into Her Incredible Garden Photography Techniques
Molly is an award-winning Garden Photographer who specialises in portraits of plants, flowers, insects and gardens and is the recipient of many accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Bar by the Guild of Photographers in 2019. She is also the author of Creative Flower and Plant Photography, which was released in 2022 – and writes regularly for publications such as Amateur Photographer. In this interview Molly offers tips for aspiring photographers and an insight into her incredible photography techniques. Please note that imagery featured in this article has been provided with permission from Molly Hollman. How Did You First Get Into Photography? “Growing up as the daughter of artists and potters, I have visited galleries all my life and have always enjoyed all the visual arts and found real inspiration there,” explains Molly. “When my children were born, I switched from drawing and painting to photography to capture them as they grew and bought a Pentax DSLR, as I had previously had a Pentax film camera. “The pivotal moment for my switch to flower photography however was probably when I won a Sony RX10iii bridge camera in Amateur Photography magazine in 2017. “This showed me the real potential of shooting with a long lens. Prior to this, I’d had nothing more than 100mm, but now had the equivalent of 600mm to play with, which meant I could zoom in from a distance and the background behind the subject would be pleasingly blurred.” What Led You To Find A Passion For Garden Photography In Particular? “Whilst I have always loved nature, I only began specialising as a flower, plant and garden photographer about six years ago,” she says. “Previously I had been interested in most genres of photography, especially landscape, portraiture and street photography, and these genres still inspire me, even though I don’t shoot them as much these days. “I have loved gardening all my life and so it felt like two passions were joining forces at this point and became something I had a real enthusiasm for.” What Is It About Plants & Insects That Make You Want To Photograph Them? “I discovered that I loved to sit, often for an hour, quietly in my garden or a local public garden, observing the small details of nature and how the light fell upon them. “Shooting small subjects with a long lens from a distance meant that I could still preserve the detail of most of the flower or insect – and not disturb them. “One of my favourite flower photos of a blue Nigella flower (which won the RHS Photography ‘Plants’ category in 2021) is taken in exactly this way, at full zoom, but retaining enough detail to preserve the petals and flower bracts whilst giving an ethereal light with its blurred background. “Light and colour are so important to my style, and I’ll study how the great artists and photographers use them at length as part of my photographic development. “I am also passionate about protecting our environment and encouraging all wildlife (even wasps, which I used to have a phobia of!) to my garden, and I’m continually delighted that all my local gardens have head gardeners that are equally passionate about protecting and encouraging pollinators and other insects. “By sharing my images of small but crucial wildlife, I hope to encourage others to do the same.” How Do You Go About Capturing The ‘Perfect Image’? What Does This Look Like To You? “The thing with most flowers and plants is that they all have their own beauty and I just need to find the best way to capture that,” Molly shares. “Bringing out the form and the colour of the plant is the most important thing. Even plants that are no longer alive, such as seed heads, can be beautiful. “I often use a macro (close-up) lens if the flower is small and sometimes this way you can see intricacies that would not normally be noticed.” What Has Been One Of Your Favourite Experiences During Your Career? “The day my book, Creative Flower and Plant Photography, was published was incredibly special as I’d managed to write it over three years at the same time as I had a full-time job teaching and was looking after my two children. “It was almost an unreal moment to hold it in my hands and have it finally finished! It’s sold really well and is often in the ‘best seller’ photography categories on Amazon.” Can You Explain Some Of The Challenges With Garden Photography? What Difficulties Have You Faced? “The challenges often come from the weather, but not those that you would expect,” Molly explains. “Harsh sunlight with no clouds can be the hardest light to photograph in as it creates harsh shadows on the flowers that detract from their intricate detail. “Windy days are difficult too – photographing flowers in the wind is like trying to photograph a moving child or pet!” How Do You Go About Photographing Wildlife? What Is Unique About Your Process? “Whilst I do sometimes photograph birds, it’s mainly insects that I enjoy photographing, from ladybirds to bees, to moths and caterpillars,” she says. “A particular subject of interest right now is the tiny flower crab spiders in my garden that camouflage themselves to the flower they sit on. “I always use a macro lens for this and look carefully at the position of the insect on the flower. I often take up to a hundred shots, as it moves around so that I can find the photo later that has the best composition.” What Advice Would You Give To Those Thinking About Getting Into Plant & Wildlife Photography? “I would buy a reasonable DSLR or bridge camera, as mobile phones aren’t usually high quality enough for detail,” she recommends. “I’d suggest looking second-hand for this as even cameras that are ten years old can be perfectly acceptable. A macro lens is probably required if you want to photograph very close up or small things like insects. “Get inspiration by searching hashtags on Instagram, like #ladybird, and see how other photographers have captured the things you are interested in photographing. “I have lots of advice in my book for those interested in starting to photograph flowers and gardens, so maybe I should add buy a copy of my book to this list!” What’s Next For You? “I’ve just had six photos shortlisted in the British Wildlife Photography Awards (all insects). Insect photography is something I want to do even more to raise awareness of how important it is to look after our tiny creatures and pollinators, as they are in such massive decline. “I’m also currently working on a portfolio of vegetable close-ups which is a little bit different and actually very exciting!”
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Horticulturist Wes Shaw: Travelling To See How Plants Grow In Their Natural Habitats
After thirty years in horticulture – including twelve at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens as a Botanical Horticulturist – Wes Shaw now offers his services as a freelance Garden Designer and Consultant. He has also previously worked as Head Gardener at the Horniman Museum & Gardens in London and still spends some of his days putting his gardening skills to use by tending to a garden in Surrey. I spoke to Wes about his love of travel, why he likes to see plants growing in their natural habitats and his plans for the future. Imagery featured in this article is provided with permission by Wes Shaw. How Did You First Get Into Gardening? “It all started when I began working at a local nursery that produced bedding plants after school,” shares Wes. “It was a great place to learn the basics of horticulture and develop a work ethic that has helped me throughout my career. Also, during that time I worked with a local landscaper and looked after a few gardens, which were other great learning experiences. “I was in my mid-twenties when my mum encouraged me to go for a job at Kew Gardens. I somehow got it and ended up working there for twelve years, six of which I spent managing the famous Palm House’s living collection. “I had a fabulous time at Kew and then went on to work as Head of Horticulture at the Horniman Museum & Gardens in South London and looked after Sky Garden at the top of the famous Walkie-Talkie building. “I am now a full-time freelancer specialising in planting design and horticultural consultancy.” What Attracted You To A Career In Garden Design? “I think it was the desire to become self-employed and not have to work for other people anymore,” he says. “When working as a Head Gardener, I was spending more and more time on boring tasks like staff management and admin and getting further away from working with plants. “So, I took the leap and gave it all up to concentrate on my own work. “I don’t really call myself a Garden Designer, I prefer to be described as a Professional Horticulturist. Design is one aspect of my work and it’s mainly planting design rather than full garden makeovers. “I also look after a couple of high-end gardens and work with other designers and landscape architects by advising on any aspect of horticulture within their projects. I love the variety of what I do now.” What Does your Process For Designing Gardens Look Like? “My design process is probably like most designers, in that I start with sketching out ideas which gradually evolve into a theme or layout,” Wes shares. “I use CAD to transfer this to a master or a planting plan. SketchUp is my program of choice for everything, as it’s affordable software that does the job and is reasonably easy to use.” What Are You Inspired By? “My inspiration comes from the natural world and I’m a big advocate of travelling as much as possible to see how plants grow in their natural habitats. “I particularly like naturalistic designs based on grassland habitats. “Over the last few years, I’ve made a couple of trips to the Mid-west of the US to look at the remaining Prairie habitats – and also spent a week this year in the Dolomites in Northern Italy studying the alpine meadows.” Do You Have A Particular Favourite Memory Of A Garden You Have Designed? “One that springs to mind is the bee garden I designed whilst working at the Horniman Museum & Gardens, as it was a fantastic project that the team and I completed during lockdown and on a really tight budget,” explains Wes. “It was a wildlife garden planted with bee-friendly plants, bug hotels and an area of wildflower meadow. The centrepiece of the garden was a sculpture by local Artist and Environmentalist Dr Jasmine Pradissitto. “The piece was called ‘FlowerGirl’ and was made from a material called Noxsorb, a geopolymer that absorbs NO₂ pollution from the air. NO₂ has been found to mask the smell of flowers and prevent bees from finding food.1 “Whilst working together on the Garden, Jasmine fell for my charm and gardening skills and we have been together for 3 years now, so this project was definitely a special one!” What Does A Day In Your Working Life Typically Look Like? “I spend 2 days a week looking after a beautiful garden surrounding one of the Lutyens Houses in the Surrey Hills,” he says. “Other days may involve running around nurseries picking up plants for a particular project and I usually have at least a day a week working from home on design projects. “Working for myself has definitely improved my work-life balance and I always manage to fit in the gym or some tennis in the afternoons.” What Is Your Favourite Time Of Year To Be In The Garden? “Spring and autumn, without a doubt,” Wes shares. “I absolutely love the change in seasons and how it affects the plants and the natural world. For me, summer is when everything turns brown for a few months and you have to try and keep everything alive.” What’s Next For You? “My plan for the next couple of years is to push the consultancy side of my work more by building up a bigger client base. “I would like to work with more urban designers and be involved with the planting design side of urban planning. I would also love to do another project with my other half Jasmine, as the combination of sculptures and plants can be really special. “I intend to keep travelling and learning, and hope my next trip is to the grasslands of South America.” Do You Have Any Advice For Those Thinking Of Giving Garden Design A Go? “My top tip to any budding designers is to not neglect your plant knowledge,” he advises. “I see a lot of designers that have spent a couple of years training and come out with the skills to create a spatial layout of a garden and produce nice renders, but the planting is not good and this usually reflects on the garden a year or two after completion. “Plants either don’t establish properly or don’t perform because of the lack of knowledge about their needs and requirements. “All garden designers should try and get experience as a hands-on gardener for a few years to really understand how plants work within a garden and how a garden is maintained.” References 1. Shaw, W. (2020, July 23). Helping bees thrive on the South Circular. Horniman Museum & Gardens. Retrieved August 17, 2023, from https://www.horniman.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BeeGarden_FINAL.pdf
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Rosy Hardy Has 24 Gold Medals At RHS Chelsea: This Is Her Advice For New Gardeners
Rosy is the Owner of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, a much-celebrated nursery that has won a staggering twenty-four(!) Gold Medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and two Tudor Roses at Hampton Court. She was also made an Honorary Vice President of the RHS in 2020 in recognition of her contribution and dedication to horticulture. I spoke with Rosy about her career, her most memorable moments and what’s next for Hardy’s nursery. Imagery in this article is provided with permission by Rosy Hardy. Can You Explain How You First Got Into Gardening? “I’ve always liked the outdoors,” says Rosy. “Whenever I was out anywhere I’d always look at the wildflowers, the trees and the hedgerows and was really interested in them, so that got me into liking plants. “When I was in school, I was going to go into agriculture but was told it wasn’t possible because I didn’t come from that background. I was pushed towards horticulture instead. “I loved biology, so horticulture was a sensible root to go down. I took an O-Level in Horticulture and I did my RHS general exam at the same time that I took this – it went from there.” From That, What Led You To A Career In Horticulture? “I had two options. I was looking at estate management and that wasn’t going to work, so I looked at horticulture and whether I wanted to work in parks, botanical gardens or commercial horticulture. “I liked the idea of the latter and actually specialised in vegetable growing once I left college. It isn’t that much of a change from what I do now because whatever you grow, you have to know about soil and what the specific plant needs. “I worked in vegetable farms for a while during and after college. After qualifying, I was just doing quality control, which wasn’t for me, so I began working at a farm shop and ended up doing what I do now.” Can You Tell Me About Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants & What You Do There? “We began by doing car boot sales where we sold plants across the weekend at various fairs,” she shares. “In the week, we did some contracted landscaping and in the evenings, we would do the growing. We started off growing all types of plants, but it was herbaceous plants that people seemed to want the most. “We then started doing flower shows and stopped doing the car boot fairs, which is how we got properly started. “We began in the back garden and then moved a couple of times before ending up where we are now. We’ve been here for 28 years now. It has changed over time, but that’s just normal for anything over that amount of time!” What Moments Stand Out To You From Your Career? “I’ve been lucky with the career I’ve had,” Rosy muses. “We’ve got 24 gold medals from Chelsea and 2 Tudor Rose awards from Hampton Court. “Also, becoming an Honorary Vice President of the RHS was amazing as it showed that people appreciate what we’ve done over the years. “Horticulture has given me a chance to go abroad too. I’ve been to Australia twice and done displays and talks over there. I’ve recently been to Kenya to do some judging over there, which was lovely.” What’s Next For You? “At the moment we are just carrying on with what we are doing at the nursery. We will be doing the RHS Malvern Autumn Show, which is always fun. “We finish doing talks here in October, so over winter we do a lot of preparations for the next year.” What Advice Would You Give To Aspiring Gardeners? “You’ve got to enjoy and embrace it,” she shares. “Any garden can be daunting to start with, but the key things are always look at your soil, understand your site and enjoy the process of creating something which is yours. “Don’t make a garden that is too difficult to maintain, otherwise you won’t ever get time to sit down and appreciate it!”
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Will Purdom On The Diversity Of Tropical Plants: 'They're Just Weird And I Like That'
After setting up an online as a plant seller whilst studying at university, Will Purdom is the owner of Botanico, an online nursery specialising in the sale of tropical plants that grew from a side hustle into his full-time business. He grows and sells over 700 species of plants online and is also the holder of the National Collection of Impatiens, which features 45 different species. I spoke with Will about his humble beginnings and aspirations for the future. Imagery in this guide has been provided with permission by Will Purdom and Botanico. How Did You Get Into Gardening? “It all started a long time ago, when I used to grow oak trees with my mum,” explains Will. “I was around 3 years old. “I loved being outdoors and it just developed from there. I used to go on gardening holidays with my parents quite often. One time, I got given some banana seeds. I was told they wouldn’t grow, but I managed to get them to germinate. “From there, every year it grew, so I started to grow bamboo seeds. I had so many at one point that I started to sell them online when I was around 17. “I was making good money out of it, which is where it all began.” What Then Led You To Create Botanico? “I went to college and did an extended diploma in Horticulture before going to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh where I did a degree in Horticulture & Plantsmanship. “During that time, I kept running my business online. I used to have volunteers go around to my house to water my plants whilst I was away at university. Then, I’d come back in summer and sell all of my plants! “Over time, I developed it in various ways, including my techniques for packaging techniques and my knowledge of customer needs.” What Is It About Tropical Plants That Interest You? “They’re just weird and I like that!” he jokes. “There [aren’t] many young people in horticulture, so it veers towards the traditional a lot of the time. “People don’t always realise the diversity that some of the more tropical plants can offer. There is so much out there that people don’t realise. “We also hold the national collection of Busy Lizzies and the variation within that genus alone is absolutely amazing!” What Does A Day In Your Working Life Look Like? “I get up and dispatch all of my parcels in the morning,” shares Will. “After that, it could be anything from sorting through the nursery stock, pricking plants out or doing online marketing tasks. It’s so varied.” What Is Your Proudest Career Moment? “I’m not really the sort of person to reflect on things!” he laughs. “I just grow plants. I won an eBay award once which was quite special.” Do You Have Any Upcoming Projects You’d Like To Share? “We are currently diversifying quite a bit as a company. We are obviously known as an exotic plant company and that will still continue, but we are also going to release a perennial and wildflower range next year. “I think we are releasing around 400 new plant species, which is really exciting.” What Is The Biggest Lesson That You’ve Learnt From Horticulture? “We all get so wrapped up with daily life, myself included, that sometimes it’s worth stopping, having a look and just appreciating what’s around you. “Otherwise, you miss it all.”
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