Earliest garden memory Looking at insects quite closely and picking blackberries, peaches and strawberries. Shelling peas with my mum is a memory I’m very fond of.
First plant love Tulips for their simplicity, shapes and colours.
What did you do before you became a gardener? I was planning to become a make-up artist. I fell into cinema management and darted from admin role to admin role. Then, while volunteering at a community garden, a switch came on and I realised I had to be a gardener.
You may also like:
- Harry Baldwin, head gardener at the Newt, on learning from failures and sustainable planting
- Alexander Hoyle: Kew-trained plantsman and designer
- Meet YouTuber, writer and horticulturist Huw Richards
- Meet the veg growers doing things differently
- Poppy Okotcha: Our gardens may be small but they are a patchwork quilt of opportunity
- An Interview with Sam Hickmott, the National Trust's youngest head gardener
Who are your horticultural heroes? My late mother taught me gardening from a young age, and without her encouragement and exposure to the natural world I wouldn’t be where I am today. Disruptors of the status quo such as Kayode Olafimihan of Permablitz London, John Little, Benny Hawksbee, Mary Reynolds and Tayshan Hayden-Smith.
Three most worthwhile tips for every gardener Tackle the hardest task first; it becomes more enjoyable when there’s a treat coming up. If you tend to forget where you leave tools, use hi-vis tape or wear a utility belt. Notice how wildlife interacts with the environment.
Don’t make changes without observing the garden landscape, sun and microclimates. Most valuable training My apprenticeship at The Regent’s Park – I learned so much about styles of gardening.
Also, visiting gardens and learning from head gardeners; layered planting from Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter was a revelation. Plus community gardening and permaculture from Susannah Hall at Kentish Town City Farm.
Favourite planting style Naturalistic and minimal control.
Favourite ‘weed’ you’re happy to have in your garden Lamium album (white dead nettle) makes delicious forage and pollinators love it too.
Biggest challenge facing gardeners We need to garden with the intention to support life rather than just for aesthetics.
Easy things that gardeners can do to be more sustainable Managing water by adopting clever, simple ways to conserve it. Learning permaculture principles. Thinking about how your actions will affect others seven generations in the future.
Where do you see horticulture heading? When I began my career in 2019, there was a gap for naturalistic, wild gardening in public and domestic gardens. It’s mainstream now and that’s due to our collapsing climate. We gardeners are caretakers of natural systems. The established rituals of colonising our garden space are falling from favour as more people realise the immense harm caused.
What’s your next big project? Planting hundreds of bulbs in the Carbon Garden that will demonstrate early spring to summer colour, including food for pollinators.
What would you like to achieve in the future? To be involved with dismantling old expectations and being open to experimentation.
Instagram @aimee_swildserenity
