First plant love Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’, also known as the wedding cake tree. The Greenmount campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), near Belfast, where I studied has a beautifully tiered tree on its campus, and this is where I first discovered it.
Who has inspired your career the most? Mark Gregory of Landform. I met him at a talk in Dublin, and instantly knew I wanted to work for him. His enthusiasm and passion for the industry really drew me in and hearing about his career, I wanted to follow in his footsteps.
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Favourite garden The walled garden at Glenarm Castle, in Country Antrim, where I grew up, will always be special to me. I did work experience there and fell in love with the gardens. It consists of beautiful herbaceous borders, calming water features, a kitchen garden and a charming glasshouse that dates back to the 1820s.
Three most worthwhile tips for every gardener Get to know your garden. See where the sun hits the ground, where the shady spots are. This way you can decide what plant is best for the area.
The beautiful thing about gardening is that it’s a continuous learning journey so there’s always opportunity to improve.
And get to know what soil type you have as this will also give you an idea of what plants are best suited for your garden. Start small. Don’t overwhelm yourself at the beginning; just enjoy the journey and as you start to build your knowledge, you can try more and more things.
Don’t let past fails or mistakes get you down: if something doesn’t work, just try again. Keep experimenting to see what works for your garden. The beautiful thing about gardening is that it’s a continuous learning journey, so there’s always an opportunity to improve.
Most valuable training My time at Greenmount was incredibly valuable. It showed me a broad range of horticultural skills and gave me a good idea of what I wanted to do. The Level 3 course had a mix of theory and practical that I found incredibly useful.
Favourite planting style I love the abundance of colour included in a cottage planting style. Along with the soft appearance of the garden, with overflowing borders partially covering the paths, it makes you feel fully immersed in your surroundings.
Get to know your garden. See where the sun hits the ground, where the shady spots are. This way you can decide what plant is best for the area.
Favourite ‘weed’ you’re happy to have in your garden Daisies, also known as Bellis perennis. I love seeing their little white and yellow heads dotted throughout the garden.
One easy thing that every gardener can do to be more sustainable Make your own compost. Composting helps to save energy that would otherwise be used to produce shop-bought compost. It cuts out waste produced by transport, packaging etc. It’s easy to do at home.
What would you like to achieve in your gardening career? Overall, I just want to continue growing my knowledge and skills and see where this great industry takes me.
Instagram @anna_landscapes_
Portrait credit: Andrew Montgomery