About

Plants at the
heart of it.

I’ve loved wildlife and plants since I was knee-high to a delphinium.

I came to garden design through a love of gardens, but the more I learn, the more interested I become in plants. How they grow, how they interact and why they belong in one place and not another.

That curiosity has become a big part of how I work. Looking properly at what’s already there, understanding the conditions, and choosing plants that won’t just look good on day one, but will settle in, thrive and become part of the place.

Training

I trained in Garden Design at Capel Manor College and am deepening my knowledge of plants through my continuing studies in Plants and Planting Design. Alongside this, years of hands-on garden maintenance have given me a practical understanding of what gardens need beyond the drawing board. How plants establish and develop, how spaces are actually used and what it takes to keep them working in real life.

My learning also takes me beyond the classroom. Through fieldwork with St Andrews Botanic Garden and The Serge Hill Project, including the Untangling Plants and The Tangled Bank projects, I’ve been able to explore how plants respond to climate, landscape and land management. It’s an area I’m continuing to learn from, and one that increasingly influences the way I approach planting design, looking at the relationships between plants, their surroundings and the wider landscape.

I don’t believe gardens need to be pristine or overly designed to be beautiful.

More on how I work