‘GARDENING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE GROWN-UP – IT CAN BE SILLY, TOO’

Hollie Newton, 38, is a self-taught gardener and the author of How to Grow: A Guide for Gardeners Who Can’t Garden Yet (Orion, £20). She previously worked as a creative director for Volvo cars, the BBC and Prada

I had a big old job in advertising working 80-hour weeks for more than a decade, but when I got my first balcony and then a pint-sized garden in London, putting my fingers back into the earth was a wonderful escape. It went from a few plants to a whole load of flowers and vegetables. So many people asked me how to do it that I realised there was a generation gap in knowledge. I’ve always loved gardening magazines, but not everyone reads them.

Gardening is for everyone but they might think their space is too small, or not know where to start. My message is to plant something, anything, to start you off. Via Sproutl (the online marketplace of which Hollie is the chief creative officer), anyone can buy indoor and outdoor plants, pots, gardening essentials and outdoor-living products. It’s a bit like Deliveroo for gardeners. Many people who are new to gardening find words such as herbaceous, loam and vermiculite confusing. Our jargon buster makes it easy to get started.

It’s all about making it inclusive, accessible and fun to new audiences. Instagram rules the world and when people see something on Instagram, they want to try it. Younger people and city dwellers are increasingly growing things such as roses, which you might traditionally associate with an older person’s cottage garden. They’re interested in planting fruit trees, and anything that promotes biodiversity. The industry is fast being modernised digitally. Gardening doesn’t have to be serious. The industry’s tone of voice is historically quite grown-up, but gardening can be silly, too.