Earliest garden memory Harvesting and eating fresh carrots and berries from my grandmother’s garden. Having lived through two world wars, she turned up her nose at ‘ornamental’ plants. Everything in her garden had to earn its keep by providing something for the family.
Favourite landscapes that have influenced you The pretty, mysterious wooded valley of the River Lahn where I grew up – a typical landscape of German romanticism and Grimms’ fairy tales. And the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, with its majestic baobab trees – they’re unforgettable in their natural habitat. Also the Knepp Estate in Sussex, where I spent a week working in the walled garden – it was fascinating to see how it sits within the larger rewilded landscape of the estate.
Worthwhile tips Be patient, observe your plants and their environment, and see what works. Don’t try to control everything. Don’t be afraid to experiment and embrace failure – something unexpected might just come out of it.
Favourite planting style I struggle to think in terms of ‘planting styles’ – I enjoy anything that is diverse and interesting and allows plants to form communities naturally, so they can thrive without constant intervention.
Favourite ‘weed’ you’re happy to have in your garden Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis, because I like to cut and dry the leaves for tea.
Be patient, observe your plants and their environment, and see what works
Biggest challenge facing gardeners today Western societies’ disconnection with nature. If people have no sense of where their food comes from, it will be impossible to make the changes that are necessary to tackle the climate crisis.
Guiding horticultural principles I played mainly jazz in my former career as a musician, and I enjoy gardening most when there’s a sense of improvisation. At the Horniman, there is a real spirit of eagerness to explore new things.
In what direction do you see horticulture heading in the next few years? I hope that the strong movement towards less intervention and more sustainability will filter through to all parts of the industry and to domestic gardeners.
I enjoy gardening most when there’s a sense of improvisation
Favourite gardening website, Instagram feed – or books Isabella Tree’s Wilding got me thinking much more about promoting biodiversity, even in ornamental gardens. Daniel Chamovitz’s What a Plant Knows, a fascinating book about plant awareness and ‘intelligence’. Lucile Brockway’s Science and Colonial Expansion, an analysis of the role of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in transferring crops to different parts of the British colonial empire to promote its prosperity. I also love Matt Candeias’s blog/podcast In Defense of Plants.
What’s your next big project at the Horniman? Over the next two years, we’re changing the Victorian Sunken Garden to a Bird Garden, with a perennial display providing food and nesting places and materials for birds and insects.
Contact afoerger@horniman.ac.uk Instagram: @afoerger
Find out more about the gardens at horniman.ac.uk