‘I spent my teens potting plants rather than going out’

Michael Perry, gardener and ITV This Morning TV presenter

MICHAEL, 38, above, known to his social media fans as Mr Plant Geek, has been in love with plants since he was four, and started selling plants from the end of his parents’ driveway at 12. ‘I was spending my evenings and weekends potting up plants and sowing seeds rather than going out and doing cool teenage stuff. I was a geek and in those days it wasn’t cool to be a geek.’

He’s certainly had the last laugh. After 18 years at mail-order plant company Thompson & Morgan where he brought in more than 500 new plants – including a tomato plant which has aubergines growing from the stems and potatoes from its roots – he went freelance two years ago, selling his house and launching the Mr Plant Geek brand.

He now presents on TV in the UK and US and has his own branded show on QVC, a T-shirt range and a social-media following topping 50,000 followers. Unusually, these followers straddle the generations.

He says: ‘It’s a golden time at the moment because plants are so popular. I think it’s driven by social media because it’s so visual, plus there’s the desire to get back to nature and back to basics. It’s a strange, symbiotic relationship. For me, it’s amazing. When I was that geeky kid that sitting at home, dividing off my spider plants, I could not imagine a world where everyone loves spider plants.’