‘Dragon tree shaped me as a gardener!’
The first plant I ever grew:
The first ‘proper plant’ I grew was
Eucalyptus obliqua, commonly-known as messmate stringybark in Australia. I grew up in Victoria, and messmate was a common tree of lowland forests. Mature trees are covered with a fibrous, stringy bark, and when camping or bushwalking, I learned it was ideal for getting a fire started. It wasn’t a good tobacco substitute though!
The plant that shaped the gardener I am today
It would have to be one of the architecturally strongly-shaped species, such as Dracaena draco, the dragon tree of the Canary Islands. I admire plants with good structure and texture, and growing in a big landscape, a mature dragon tree is magnificently impressive.
The plant that changed my life
I’m constantly in awe of the diversity and beauty of plants, and there’s no better place in the world to appreciate this than where I work now, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Walking into the Palm House is such a sensory experience. It’s the cheapest way to travel the world!
The plant that’s made me work hardest
I spent much time and effort in our garden in Australia trying to grow plants, such as hostas, I’d seen in glossy English gardening magazines, but finding they just weren’t happy with our conditions. The searingly hot summer winds sent various plants to their grave. Over time, it reinforced the lesson about choosing the plant with the right characteristics and tolerances for local conditions, rather than for their glossy publicity shots!
The plant I’d love to grow more
I’d love to have the acreage to be able to grow more tree species. I’ve admired and respected trees since I was young, and particularly appreciate members of the Araucariaceae – the southern hemisphere broad-leaved conifers. The Queensland kauri pine, Agathis robusta, is one favourite, but not well-suited to prolonged cold in winter.
The plant I am in human form
I suspect I’m not dissimilar to the Queensland bottle tree,
Brachychiton rupestris. It’s a slow-growing and slightly curious species, which enjoys hot summers. It expands around the trunk year by year, and has a modest show of small flowers now and then. It can be relocated reasonably successfully, provided that it’s given a good drink!
The plant I’d always give away as a gift
I think that Rosa rugosa is a fabulous plant as a gift, as it has a wide range of tolerances and thrives with little care. Its hips are superb! I wish someone would give me one…