Earliest garden memory Making mud pies and playing with childhood friends in the uncut grass of our local park under the towering urban landscape.
First plant love When my family moved to the Devon coast, the tubular bells of foxgloves called to me whenever I clambered down the rocky paths to go for chilly swims. My heart still leaps every time I see one.
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Who has inspired your career the most? For a time I worked alongside lead creative gardener Romany Taylor on a project called Cultivate Create. Together, we created an edible garden and ran art workshops with local families who didn’t have access to gardens. Their joy and enthusiasm made me realise how vital it is we all connect with the land.
Connect to collective resources. Gardening can sometimes be isolating and lonely. Sharing plants, materials and support helps us through the more difficult times
Who are your horticultural heroes? Working with head gardener Matt Collins at the Garden Museum is an incredible privilege. I’m also inspired by the team at Beth Chatto Gardens, and all my horticultural friends, who are so generous and supportive. They’re the main reason I love gardening.
Favourite landscape I’m enchanted by the temperate rainforests of Devon and Cornwall, where ancient sessile oaks, birches, rowans and hazels are draped in soft mosses, lichens and ferns. There are few remaining but they are an incredible habitat that is slowly being restored.
Investing in the land means investing in its caretakers. As environmental and social conditions become more challenging, fair remuneration for gardeners is vital.
Favourite planting style I’m interested in working from the soil up and planting in accordance with the ecology of the site and the needs of users.
Favourite ‘weed’ you’re happy to have in your garden Dipsacus fullonum (teasel), a beautiful structural plant visited by bees when it’s in flower and birds when in seed.
Biggest challenge facing gardeners Investing in the land means investing in its caretakers. As environmental and social conditions become more challenging, fair remuneration for gardeners is vital.
One easy thing that every gardener can do Connect to collective resources. Gardening can sometimes be isolating and lonely. Sharing plants, materials and support helps us through the more difficult times.
The principles that guide your gardening Gardens are places of connection where we care for all species and realise we are not separate from nature. Prioritising collaboration and the long-term management of the land supports our local ecosystems and the people and wildlife that inhabit these spaces.
Favourite gardening sources/books The online newsletter Radicle offers fresh perspectives on gardening. I also love Robin Wall Kimmerer’s new book, The Serviceberry.
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