Artur Serra Costa

Having grown up in rural Spain, Artur has an appreciation for plants in their natural environment. He’s now a trainee gardener at private garden Mount St John in North Yorkshire

Early gardening memory My grandpa had fields where he grew veg to sell at the market. My sister, our cousins and I were supposed to help, but we just ran through a labyrinth of tomato plants growing up tall canes under the sprinklers, ate juicy warm peaches from the trees and feasted on peas at sunset. My favourite playground. Your career path to horticulture I graduated with a degree in Fine Arts, but was worried by the high level of unemployment among young people in Spain, so I went abroad to volunteer in different projects. I learned about permaculture, sustainable architecture and community building, and soon enough I thought gardening would be my way to contribute to a healthier environment. Good advice for every gardener Get a feel for the seasonal changes, and the different paces at which the garden evolves, and always bear in mind the long-term effects of what you do. Most valuable training Gathering hands-on work experience from the very beginning of my career, and being surrounded by inspiring and knowledgeable people throughout have been, and continue to be, two of the most valuable features of my professional training. I am also currently doing the RHS level 2 course at Askham Bryan. Dream plant destination I want to visit the Atacama Desert in Chile that gets covered in a carpet of flowers after it rains (but this might not happen again for another 14 years); the bridges made from living roots in the Meghalaya region in India; or the wild meadows of Miscanthus sinensis in Japan. Unsung hero of the plant world As most of the plants that grow in Britain were new to me, I didn’t have any preconceptions and was quite impressed with Symphytum grandiflorum when I noticed its incredibly long flowering season throughout spring – providing nectar for the first bumblebees. I like how the colour varies as the flower ages, how good it is as groundcover, and how little (if any) attention it needs, plus its composting value and medicinal uses. What’s the next big project you’ll be tackling in the garden We are trying different ways of dealing with a seemingly unstoppable invasion of wild garlic in the woodland garden; so the next big project will be to bring in approximately 90 tonnes of soil to create mounds on top of the garlic to give other groundcover a better chance to establish. Contact arturserracosta@gmail.com Instagram artur.serra.costa