I caught the gardening bug early and began designing gardens more than 30 years ago as a teenager growing up in the west country. Word spread when I moved to the south coast 15 years ago and I began to design gardens for friends and neighbours in my spare time. 

The enquiries began to grow and I made the decision to make my hobby into my full time work in 2000. I wanted my business to reflect my belief that we can grow in and with our gardens. The result was ‘the growing company’. I now work full time creating gardens for clients across Southern England and the Home Counties and aim to ensure that my garden design solutions meet my clients’ needs and take into account their gardening abilities. For me, my passion is to ‘reintroduce’ nervous / tired / time poor clients to their gardens and show them the amazing resource they have outside their door.

Although largely self taught, I returned to college in 2000 and gained a City & Guilds qualification in Garden Design. I have also completed the RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture (Sparsholt College) and am continuing my garden design studies with the English Gardening School, Chelsea. I am also a correspondent member of the Society of Garden Designers and aim to become a full member within the next three years.

During my studies in the USA during the 1990s, I was very impressed with the way that designers and planners had understood the therapeutic effects of the garden and outdoor spaces on their clients’ health and wellbeing and had integrated good garden design into the overall home, hospital or school experience. I was determined to bring these insights into my work in the UK and I have been delighted to be involved in several leading edge therapeutic garden projects in the south.