Joe’s JOURNEY

1965

BORN IN NEWCASTLE, WHILE HIS MUM, AUTHOR MARGARET DRABBLE, IS VISITING HIS DAD, CLIVE SWIFT, AN ACTOR, ON TOUR. GROWS UP IN NORTH LONDON, WITH AN OLDER BROTHER AND SISTER

1980s

QUITS ART COLLEGE FOR LIFE AS A ROCK STAR. AFTER THE BAND BREAKS UP, HE SPENDS SIX MONTHS IN ISRAEL ON A KIBBUTZ, WHERE HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE OUTDOOR LIFE

1990

STUDIES GARDEN DESIGN AT THE ENGLISH GARDENING SCHOOL AT CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN, WHILE RUNNING A LANDSCAPING COMPANY

1998

JOINS THE Gardeners’ World TEAM, AFTER ANSWERING AN AD IN A MAGAZINE

2001

STARTS PRESENTING AT THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW FOR THE BBC. HE HAS SINCE COVERED HAMPTON COURT, TATTON PARK AND MALVERN FLOWER SHOWS. PUBLISHES The Plant Room, THE FIRST OF SEVERAL BOOKS OVER THE COMING YEARS

2004

SETS UP MODULAR, HIS GARDEN DESIGN BUSINESS

2012

WINS A GOLD MEDAL AT CHELSEA FOR THE HOMEBASE/ TEENAGE CANCER TRUST SHOW GARDEN

2018

HORATIO’S GARDEN AT THE NATIONAL SPINAL INJURIES CENTRE AT STOKE MANDEVILLE HOSPITAL, JOE’S MOST REWARDING PROJECT, OPENS. IT WON A SOCIETY OF GARDEN DESIGNERS AWARD LAST YEAR

2022

BRINGS OUT FIVE GUIDES SHOWING HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN GARDEN. DESIGNS A GARDEN FOR POLLINATORS FOR THE RHS AT CHELSEA, WHERE HE WILL RETURN AS A PRESENTER