My Life in Plants
The first plant I ever grew
I remember being involved in the school gardening group run by one of the teachers. We grew a wide range of vegetables in the old walled garden. We boys would probably have eaten them!
The plant that shaped the gardener I am today
My father was interested in trees and used to tell me about their various characteristics. At the top of the garden there was a stand of Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga
menziesii, that may have spurred my burgeoning interest in a broad range of plants.
My favourite plant in the world
There are so many to choose from! The simple primrose and snowdrop in flower, the blousy blossoms of magnolia, the scent of a rose or ripe apple, the candyfloss aroma in autumn of the fading leaves of cercidiphyllum – I’ve a favourite every month.
The plant that made me work hardest
Many plants are a challenge to grow and I’ve tried a wide range from temperate climates in gardens over the years. I remember taking several years to find the spot in the garden to grow the witch hazel relative, Disanthus cercidifolius, so it wasn’t caught by late spring frost that could spell the end of it.
The plant I’d like to grow more of
Within the limitations of our current garden we’ve more room for agapanthus. From pure white flowers to the many, many shades of blue and now the latest selection, ‘Alan Street’, which is so dark it’s almost mahogany.
The plant I am in human form
I’m neither a broad oak, nor slender pencil cedar, more an evergreen shrub, such as the bay tree, Laurus nobilis. It’s practical and useful, can be trimmed and shaped, and has aromatic foliage that’s useful in the kitchen!
The plant that helped shape my life
It has to be the Douglas fir. As a small boy, when I looked up into the branches, the tree top seemed to reach the sky. Cones could always be found on the lawn or in the borders and when put end to end could form a long chain across the lawn. The scent of its new growth always triggers such fond memories.
The plant I’d always like to give as a gift
The paperbark maple, Acer griseum. It’s slow growing, has a delicate stature, produces lovely autumn hues and the peeling bark is of interest to people of all ages.