a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e g a r d e n s
Simon Maughan
michael cuff
How did you get into gardening? I remember one school day realising that I didn’t know the name of any flowers, so I started learning. This led to a degree in botany, and a job at the Royal Horticultural Society, where I began to really appreciate gardens as landscape.
What do you most enjoy about your job? Besides working with nature, it’s working with my customers to achieve what why want from their garden. Sharing their lives – and their pets, too! Being of use to them, and doing the work in a caring way to a high standard and to the best of our abilities.
The Botanic Man 07717 220086 www.botanicman.co.uk
Did you always want to be a gardener? No, I wanted to work in print advertising! On reflection, I now see what attracted me: the pleasing positioning of images and words on a page is not dissimilar to the beautiful arrangement of plants and objects in a garden. How do you spend your time at work? Making sure that the gardens I work in stay beautiful, or – if it is for a new client – working to improve their garden with new plans and plantings. I take pride in doing a professional job. What do you most enjoy about your job? I like the sense that gardens are constantly evolving. Plants grow, the requirements of the site change, and the seasons turn. There are always new ideas to be tried too, and I like to keep up with the new. What might we be surprised to learn about you? I have my name in well over 50 gardening books – as a consultant, editor, or writer.
Select Gardens 01225 336556 www.macgardeningbath.co.uk
How did you get into gardening? I started at a young age, as both my parents were keen gardeners. I got a lot of knowledge from them, growing a wide range of flowering plants, vegetables and fruit. We had a 100ft garden, greenhouse and so on, and my parents won competitions. Indeed, I won 1st prize in Bath in Bloom with a Church Garden. Describe your ideal day? A day where I purchase an interesting selection of plants for customers, then plant them – and my customers are delighted with the result. I like to give pleasure and value for money. How has gardening changed in the last few years? People want and expect more from their garden, making it suit their lifestyles and making the outdoor space to their taste and needs. The range of materials and plants has increased greatly in interest and quality too.
rosie nottage
Rosie Nottage Garden Design Ltd 01225 852587 / 07967 316259 www.rosienottage.com What do you most enjoy about gardening in Bath? The slopes! Bath has lots of challenges, from working out steps and how to treat listed walls to managing the access through listed buildings. It all makes life more interesting. What trends do you think Spring 2018 will see? Houseplants have really taken off and people are starting to pay as much attention to the planter as to the plant. I think we will see this outdoors too. One bit of advice to garden owners would be… what? Live with your garden for a year and photograph it in each season. That will show you when and where you have gaps which need work. Best bit of the job? My degree is in Botany, so naturally I love working with plants – but a lot of the job is about construction detailing, which is also fascinating. Which accomplishment has made you proudest? Winning a competition to design a Chelsea Flower Show planting scheme before I had even finished my Diploma. What’s your favourite local garden open to the public? The Courts Garden at Holt: so many gardens in one.
Tom Eaglestone
Eaglestone Landscape Design 07834 855788 www eaglestonelandscapedesign. co.uk How did you get into gardening? I always wanted to work in conservation. After stints at the Soil Association and in Costa Rica I ended up back in Bath. Over a round of golf my friend offered me some gardening work at his dad’s friends 500-acre estate. Here I learned my plants and was lucky to work under an amazing gardener, Dan. After this I went on to study Landscape Design. What is the favourite project you have worked on? Recently I’ve done two gardens which I’m very proud of. The first is a cottage garden south of Bath with wonderful views. The other is a walled garden with a large lean-to greenhouse, which will look incredible. Describe your ideal day Obviously, finding time to potter in my own garden. A strong morning coffee, perhaps a visit to a garden, walking the dog along the canal (where I used to live on a boat), a homemade pizza and board games with my family. Or my soon-to-be adventure with my son to see the cherry blossom in Japan and the gardens of Kyoto.
How can we make more space in our gardens? Go up, and use all the vertical space you can.
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