Experience
Initially inspired by my father who was always in the garden in his spare time. I first began gardening to earn pocket money.
Before I went to horticultural college I worked for a year at the award winning Coolings Nurseries on their production unit at Knockholt, Kent. I went on to study for an HND in Commercial Horticulture at Writtle Agricultural College in Essex. Here I studied the principles of horticulture and  specialised in field scale vegetable production. In my industrial release year I worked on a pick your own farm in Walton on Thames in West London, which was notable for providing unusual vegetables and herbs for the London wholesale markets.
Having successfully completed the course with credits I went on to work on another pick your own farm in Hampshire. Here top fruit (apples, pears and plums) and soft fruit including the rather noval at the time blueberries were the main crops although I was responsible for growing and tending 3 hectares of a wide variety of vegetables.
In the early 1990s after my foray into fruit and vegetables I moved back to the plant nursery trade where I worked for Richalps Nurseries as production manager. Here we specialised in growing alpines and hardy perennials for garden centres.
In the mid 1990s I returned to Kent to join the well established Coblands Nurseries who grow for the landscape, municipal and retail markets. In this role I had responsibility for plant care, this included irrigation, pest and disease control, weed control, plant training and pruning on their main 11 hectare site. I also took on responsibility for training and advising in these matters on their satellite sites. It was during this time that I saw the introduction of ecologically friendly biological control for pest and diseases.

In to the 21st Century
In 2004 I joined the very successful Old Barn Nurseries near Horsham in Sussex, here with the help of colleagues, I project managed the setting up of a nursery production unit growing for the garden centre. It was here that I became familiar with the design and set up of water saving capillary rise irrigation systems. In 2005 I returned to Coblands in an administrative role as stock controller, this lead on to a period as interim Plant Centre manager and sales adviser where I was able to help trade customers with planting schemes and plans.

Travel
Over the years I have been fortunate to have enjoyed many family holidays both in Britain, around Europe and the Mediterranean (Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, Greek Islands, Italy, Spain Turkey) and indeed further afield such as Uganda, Morocco and Borneo. It is always such a thrill to see plants that we commonly see sold in garden centres growing in the wild in their natural habitats. I have a particular love for Mediterranean plants.

My Style of Gardening
Perhaps as a consequence of my passion for holidays I would describe myself as a "Romantic Gardener". I believe gardens should be places that you can relax in and enjoy, places where you feel uplifted and inspired. I want to help recreate the feelings that you had when you visited that wonderful historic house and gardens in the past. That sense of well being and peace you felt when you sat in the warm dappled sunshine under the pergola draped in grapevines on that holiday in Crete or Tuscany.

Gardens should be delightful places of interest, colour, texture and variety. Four of the five senses, sight, smell, touch and sound should be stimulated. gardens should be places of mystery and inspiration, truly places to be invigorated and energised.