Megan Sharp

Former photographer Megan now looks after eight acres of recently developed gardens at Lords of the Manor, a Cotswold manor house hotel set in an idyllic location

First plant love I was given a Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii cutting from my Nan, which was taken from her mum’s plant. Three generations of this vine of hearts, which grew and grew all the way down the stairs. Who has inspired your gardening career? It’s definitely in my blood as my Irish great grandfather was renowned for cutting perfectly straight hedges on the estate he worked on. My mum and auntie are professional gardeners too and this shared skill within the family has inspired me. I initially studied fashion styling and photography and worked as a portrait photographer, but after six years of London life I needed to get back to my country roots and get (literally) down to earth. Horticultural hero Herb expert Jekka McVicar is one of the most inspiring horticulturists I’ve ever met. I love her energy, she will get you so excited about a plant, making you taste it and fall in love with it in an instant. After meeting her you will want to create a herb garden and eat, smell, drink herbs all day long. Favourite landscape I love the contrast of Brutalist concrete architecture softened with plants and their organic green forms. The Barbican in London really does it for me; one day I’ll create a concrete garden and fill it with plants as if humans had left the planet. What is it that inspires you each day? The gardens here were designed by Julie Toll and it’s such a pleasure to work in a garden planned by someone who understands the work that goes into gardening. I really enjoy seeing her colour and texture combinations throughout the year – you get a real insight into how a seven-times Chelsea Gold designer thinks. Biggest challenge facing gardeners today I think we are realising actually how bad we gardeners are for wildlife and the landscape. The challenge is not to impact on the environment while also not trebling our workload. Favourite gardening book Robert John Thornton’s The Temple of Flora from 1799 to 1807 (reproduced by Taschen in 2013) is what I asked for on completing my horticultural course. The art in this book inspires me every day. I’d wallpaper the walls with it if it wasn’t such a beautiful book. Contact lordsofthemanor.com The gardens are open to the public. To arrange a tour email 8acres@lordsofthemanor.com