My Life in Plants
The first plant I ever grew
We lived in North Cornwall, half a mile from the sea – not ideal gardening conditions. That said, my parents grew most things and my dad’s favourite – and later mine – were sweet Williams. This wonderfully cheerful biennial dazzles with its multi-coloured blooms throughout summer. Magic!
The plant that shaped the gardener I am today
I learned gardening through landscaping and then design, and I won’t tolerate any plant that underperforms. The genus that awoke me to a wonderful world is salvia. My favourite is Salvia sclarea turkestanica with its statuesque form and ability to spread its offspring everywhere; a truly happy plant.
The plant that changed my life
Well, that’s perhaps a bit strong! However, travel broadens the mind, and to see the flora of Southern Africa, where hillsides of kniphofia, swathes of agapanthus and pelargoniums abound, made me understand the value of indigenous species and the importance of planting in drifts, big drifts!
The plant that’s made me work hardest
Digging out and replanting oak saplings in our French garden. Oaks are almost a national tree in that country, self-seeding everywhere. Creating a new windbreak is hard work as roots, even on small plants, hang on tenaciously, but so far I haven’t lost one tree.
The plant I’d love to grow more
Roses, roses, roses. There is one for every situation, HTs, floribunda, miniature, patio, climbers, ramblers and so on. Some thrive in sun, others in shade; some are tiny and delicate and others, such as ‘Kiftsgate’, can consume a garden. What else gives you flowers, colour and fragrance from May until Christmas!
The plant I am in human form
Geranium. There are legion varieties and colours from white, through the palest pink to moody blues for sunny banks or shady corners. My undoubted favourite is Geranium phaeum ‘Raven’: tall, dark and handsome (I wish!).
The plant I’d always give away as a gift
Valerian, Centranthus ruber, is another favourite. As a lad,I remember them growing virtually everywhere, often in inhospitable conditions such as a drystone wall. They self-set everywhere in my garden. Although lovely, I can’t thin them out fast enough and so they find their way to as many friends’ gardens as possible.