Yay! I have been named as one of the Top 20 most influential Horticulturists in the UK by The Sunday Times.
The Sunday Times Home have recently compiled their list of ‘horticultural taste-makers’ from across the UK, which is their roundup of people who shape our choice of plants in our gardens. In my role of New Product Development Manager at Thompson & Morgan, the largest horticultural company in the UK, I was well-placed to be selected I guess!. It is the first time that I’ve been included in this prestigious list, and I’m now in the good company of household names such as Alan Titchmarsh, James Wong, and even Prince Charles HRH.
As you know, I began my horticultural career at the tender age of just 5 years old, shadowing my Nana and Granddad in their urban garden, as they cultured dahlias and chrysanthemums for exhibiting in local flower shows. During the difficult teenage years, whilst friends were out causing mischief, I was in his parent’s garden, propagating herb plants which I sold through adverts in the back of BBC Gardener’s World magazine!
Having joined Thompson & Morgan at the age of 18, I have developed with the company and now head up their New Product activities, treating the public to plants such as the TomTato, a worldwide phenomenon, which is half-potato, half-tomato! I also work hard to select plants built for garden performance; so they may be longer-flowering, more disease resistant, or in colours never seen before. Ultimately, I want to help gardeners across the UK to grow different, better plants, and to make gardening easier!
Aside from assembling a much-admired range of new plants every year for Thompson & Morgan, I also get involved in TV and radio broadcast, and have appeared on the BBC2 Great British Garden Revival, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, and feature on BBC Radio Suffolk’s gardening phone in.
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