Earliest garden memory My grandmother’s council house garden was my first connection with growing. It was small but she had roses trained all over the walls, and every single patch of the heavy clay soil was jam-packed with Asian vegetables. I don’t even know where she got the seeds from. On a hot summer’s day when the strawberries ripened, we would eat them straight from the plants.
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Life before gardening? I studied fine art, and worked as an artist specialising in performance art and experimental theatre, setting up social art spaces with my partner Graeme. I don’t see gardening as a career change; more of a transition. I merely changed my medium.
First plant love Myosotis. I like to think it was Myosotis ‘Royal Blue’, as it is the most incredible sky blue.
The expectation, spurred by social media, that everything can happen instantaneously is spreading to gardening. Gardening is a slow art; the best gardens evolve over time.
Horticultural heroes? Aside from my grandmother, Isabella Vaughan, the former owner of Kerdalo in Brittany, was a big influence. Early in my career, she showed me that quality was about the whole process, and began with great nurseries. Also Siew Lee Vorley, who was assistant head gardener of Great Dixter when I was training there, and horticulturists Rachael Dodd and Robert Bradshaw.
Favourite garden Keith Wiley’s Wildside. Contemporary gardens of scale are rarely created without the backing of heritage and wealth, so I’ve always been stunned with Keith’s daring to have such vision and the sheer will to enact it.
Don’t be too tidy and think of the insects and wildlife. You don’t need to take up every leaf from the soil, you can cut back non-seeding material and put it at the back of borders.
Most valuable training De Hessenhof nursery in the Netherlands. I am interested in what it is to be sustainable and Hans and Miranda Kramer are an influential model.
Dream plant destination I would love to see steppe landscapes and alpine meadows in the Caucasus Mountains of Central Asia, and Crete for great Mediterranean flora.
Biggest challenge facing gardeners? The expectation, spurred by social media, that everything can happen instantaneously is spreading to gardening. Gardening is a slow art; the best gardens evolve over time.
One easy way to be more sustainable Don’t be too tidy and think of the insects and wildlife. You don’t need to take up every leaf from the soil, you can cut back non-seeding material and put it at the back of borders. Whatever we can leave we do now as a natural mulch.
Guiding principle? Always question everything you do. Ask yourself why you don’t like something and how you would do it differently. This is when you truly learn and innovation happens.
Where is horticulture heading? It’s already taking cues from a wider range of practices, such as agroecology, and permaculture, and more people from different backgrounds are coming into horticulture who understand its value and want to do more than just maintain gardens.
Contact maggiesgrowontrees@gmail.com; @hortiventure