Green fingered James heads to Show
A POPULAR ethnobotanist who presented the award-winning BBC series Grow Your Own Drugs will share his love for houseplants at this August’s Southport Flower Show.
James Wong shares his tiny London flat with over 500 houseplants and is constantly developing new escapist terrarium and aquascape creations that he shares via his Instagram.
Trained at the prestigious Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, James achieved an MSc in Ethnobotany, graduating with distinction.
He has pursued research into underutilised crop species, ethnopharmacology and traditional food systems through field work in rural Ecuador, Java and Southern China.
James became the youngest-ever RHS medal winner at the Hampton Court Palace Show in 2004 and has won several more since, including two gold medals for his garden designs at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Alan Adams, the general manager of Southport Flower Show and Victoria Park, said: “We can’t wait to welcome James to this year’s show. He’s not been to Southport Flower Show before, and we know he will be a hit with our visitors.
“Houseplants are good for your health and not just for their visual beauty. They essentially do the opposite of what we do when we breathe: release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. This not only freshens up the air but also eliminates harmful toxins.”
James has written six best-selling books on plant use, gardening and food, including Homegrown
Revolution, the fastest-selling gardening book in UK history. He also writes regular columns in the Observer and New Scientist.
His media career began with the breakaway hit series Grow Your Own Drugs, and James has since presented various science, food, gardening, and nature shows for the BBC, Channel News Asia and
Netflix. James is also a regular panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time.
He is an ambassador for Kew Gardens and the Liz Earle natural skincare company, the latter for which he travels the world searching for groundbreaking new botanical ingredients as their resident ethnobotanist.
James will join Frances Tophill (Gardeners’ World and Love Your Garden), Lee Burkhill (The Garden Ninja), Jason Williams (The Cloud Gardener), Keith Brymer Jones (The Great Pottery Throw Down) and Daisy Desire (The Drag Queen Gardener), with many more announced over the coming months.
Plans for this year’s show are underway, with a combination of garden and floral displays, cookery demonstrations, a shopping village, arena entertainment, live music and more on offer for the whole family this summer.
Southport Flower Show is a registered charity and the largest independent flower show in the country, attracting more than 55,000 visitors across four days.
Early bird tickets are now on sale for £21 until the end of March. Children under 16 go free. The Southport Flower Show runs from Thursday, August 17, to Sunday, August 20.