The plants that got us hooked on horticulture

Was there a particular plant that got you hooked on gardening and the natural world? Seriously green-fingered folk tell Jean Vernon about their gateway to growing

It is believed that lockdown has created three million new gardeners. Chances are, though, that many were already nurturing a seed sown a long time ago; a cherished childhood memory of glorious gardens, perhaps, a secret den in a field, or treetop treasures discovered on a nature table at school.

We asked a selection of seriously dedicated gardeners to share their memory of the spark that ignited a garden, plant or nature passion.

MERLIN LABRON-JOHNSON

Michelin-starred chef Merlin LabronJohnson was late to the gardening party, although early life lessons on the family farm in Devon left their mark. Food is his first love, but a new hobby came knocking when lockdown closed his restaurant, Osip, in the Somerset foodie hub of Bruton.

“Growing veg is a very recent thing. I was busy running the restaurant and never quite found time to get involved in any of the growing. It has become almost an obsession and something that I am now as passionate about as cooking. It provides a great kind of escapism and also there’s something slightly therapeutic and relaxing about it.”

It was while travelling in Peru that the seed was sown: Labron-Johnson was introduced to some plant ingredients that he loves to grow today.

“The ones that fascinated me were amaranth and the red and purple orach; it’s the most beautiful bright pink/claret colour. You can treat their leaves almost like spinach, but you can also use the grains and the seeds and cook them like a risotto.”

Labron-Johnson, like all gardeners, learned by his mistakes. He watched and read a lot on the internet, listened to local no-dig expert Charles Dowding and read Lucy Chamberlain’s book Step-by-Step Veg Patch.

“Gardening is like cooking in the sense that it is relatively unforgiving. You are nurturing something and then if it does go wrong, it’s devastating because you’ve put so much care and effort into it. But you tend not to make the same mistakes again.”