Earliest garden memory Watching my mother carefully unravel cutting material from her handbag. Her sunny windowsills were a production line of rooting activity in wobbly yoghurt pots. Like my mum, I often carry bareroot divisions as pocket gifts.
Who has inspired your career So many people, but especially Stephanie Davies of Quaker Gardens for her quiet encouragement of me to transition from accountancy, and her way of ‘invisible gardening’. And Leigh Chappell for inviting me to be a part of the Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival. It was a necessary nudge, and I’m now hooked.
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Who are your horticultural heroes and why? I’ve long been in awe of the lightness, artistry, restraint and naturalistic styles of Dan Pearson, Fergus Garrett, Sarah Price and Tom Stuart-Smith. But I am also finding new heroes in a wider community that values individuality and experimental approaches. It’s an exciting time.
I’m happiest exploring the rich, wild spaces near water around the UK – perhaps because they are so relatable to the garden style I love.
Favourite landscape Wild spaces, where the marks of industry have opened opportunities for primary ecological succession. Unique, jumbled up communities arrive amid industrial sculptures – perfectly balanced in aesthetic, vigour and longevity. The River Lee, Swanscombe Marshes and Ramsgate Hoverport, for example, are magical.
I plan to experiment with containerised hedge bindweed, which flowers endlessly and brings in delicate plume moths
Dream plant destination I’m happiest exploring the rich, wild spaces near water around the UK – perhaps because they are so relatable to the garden style I love.
Favourite ‘weed’ Many for their protective relationship with the soil and other plants as well as their individual qualities. I couldn’t pin down one, but I love meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris) for its delicate foliage and airy but upright form, and Oxalis for difficult, heavily shaded corners.
I plan to experiment with containerised hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium), which flowers endlessly and brings in delicate plume moths.
Biggest challenge facing gardeners Climate change. Most gardeners are driven to learn, share and improve approaches, but there is also the task of managing people’s expectations and I’m fortunate to be working with incredibly open-minded and understanding garden owners.
One easy thing that every gardener can do to be more sustainable Apply Beth Chatto’s principle of appropriate planting communities for existing conditions to reduce ongoing resources. While it’s a long-established idea, it takes time and trials to really get to know a site.
The soil is alive and I’m interested in the longevity and long-term transport costs associated with the use of aggregates and renewing them to adjust and maintain conditions where there is no option for reusing local material.
What’s the next big project Sourcing starry material in gardens for an installation with a fairy-tale theme at the Strawberry Hill House Flower Festival on 12-14 September.
Instagram @chatu_madhvani