Gardening talent

A childhood passion for wildflowers inspired a career change for Sue, who is now herbaceous specialist at Mount St John in North Yorkshire

Meet Sue Busuttil in charge of herbaceous plantings at Mount St John

Earliest gardening memory My most vivid memories are about plants in the countryside rather than the garden. I was fascinated by wildflowers from an early age and my Dad would help me look up any I didn’t recognise in a much-used copy of Keble Martin’s 1960s’ Concise British Flora in Colour and then press them between tissues to put in a scrapbook. Career change I worked as a community pharmacist for over 20 years before making my career move. For me, gardening was an interest that grew and grew out of my early love for wildflowers. In the end it became almost all consuming and I knew it was time to make the change. I love being outside, I love the chance to use my artistic side, I love the physicality of it and I love the science behind it. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. Most valuable training The training I received here at Mount St John as part of the WRAG scheme (work and re-train as a gardener scheme). I had already studied for RHS qualifications but the scheme gave me the chance to gain valuable practical experience that you can’t learn from a book. I was also incredibly fortunate that they offered me a full time job at the end of it. Horticultural heroes The late Geoff Hamilton who was the gardening face of the BBC when I first got my own little piece of land and Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith for their ability to create beautiful gardens that somehow succeed in intensifying the simple beauty of nature. Valuable tip for any gardener Mulch, mulch, mulch. This helps conserve moisture, improves your soil structure and most importantly reduces the number of weeds. Dream plant destination I have so many dream destinations. I think The Valley of Flowers – an Indian National Park in the Western Himalayas, known for its meadows of alpine flowers and the variety of flora. I would love to trek there one day. Unsung hero of the plant world Hardy geraniums. I think they’re often considered run-of-the-mill plants but there is one for just about every garden situation: sun or shade, damp or dry. Favourite gardening books The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is my bible for herbaceous perennial pruning and maintenance. Contact sue@born2run.force9.co.uk. WRAG scheme: wfga.org.uk