Chartered Horticulturist Doug Stewart On The Need To Garden More Sustainably

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Doug Stewart is a Chartered Horticulturist who works as a Professional Associate to the RHS and a Consultant to those looking for gardening advice.

Having completed his RHS Master of Horticulture accreditation in the early eighties, Doug has more recently authored A Gardener’s Guide To Sustainable Gardening, which is available now in Paperback.

In this interview we learn more about Doug, his drive for sustainability and his relationship with the garden in his own words.

Where Did Your Journey With Gardening Start?

“I’ve always liked plants and been better with plants than people!” jokes Doug.

“I started as a child as a lot of people do with my parents. I was given a rubbish spot in the garden under some conifers. When I was 13, I got my first allotment and started to grow there.

“At this age, I also responded to a job in the local paper where I raked leaves and mowed the lawns at a nearby home, so that was where it all started.”

How Did This Introduction To Gardening Lead To A Career As A Horticulturist?

“There usually comes a point where you are left wondering what you are meant to do with your life,” he says. “I also had a little bit of pressure from my parents.

“I’ve luckily always liked gardening and grew up surrounded by nature.

“I also got holiday work at local nurseries in Hampshire which became the pathway into discovering that there was the potential for a career in this industry. I’m really pleased I took those steps.”

Do You Have Any Particular Favourite Moments From Your Career?

“I worked in horticultural education after working at a variety of nurseries.

“My favourite moments were when the students ran into me afterwards and told me that the experience and inspiration they gained from college has now led to them running their own nurseries or going to flower shows.

“Having been lucky enough to be in the position to influence people and make a difference is my favourite part of my whole career.”

Can You Tell Us About Your Upcoming Book, A Gardener’s Guide To Sustainable Gardening?

“I’m really excited because I’ve just received my first hard copy of it!” Doug shares.

“Everyone is talking about the need for us to garden more sustainably but there is little information out there on what that actually means.

“With this book, I wanted to unpack this and explain what sustainability actually is and what it means to the garden. I’ve proposed a model in the book about how to rethink everything we do in a garden in regard to sustainability.

“It gets you to question everything and then make better-informed decisions. It tries to introduce a whole new way of gardening, which is a pretty big aim for a little book!”

What Has Horticulture Taught You?

“Everything has changed. The way we practice horticulture now is entirely different to what we used to do. The principles we were working from a few years ago are so far from the ones we work from now.

“It’s taught me that the golden rule is to re-evaluate everything always. Ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’. We do things that are so automatic because we have always done it or our parents did it.

“Every point where we intervene in a garden should be met with a challenge from ourselves.”

What’s Next For You?

“I’m writing up my website at the moment where I’m sharing more of the ideas from the book,” he explains.

“I work with the RHS as a professional associate and have helped them with developing their new Level 2 and 3 Qualifications and the upcoming rollout of these is exciting.

“Giving a voice to gardens and gardeners who are working sustainably is an aim of mine for the next few months. I’m also working with a local garden centre to become the most sustainable garden centre in Britain, which is a really interesting and fun project.”

Can You Summarise Your Relationship With Horticulture In One Sentence?

“If you had a friend who you were in complete awe of, that is how I feel about gardening and nature,” he says simply.

“My relationship with gardening is one of absolute wonder.”