I have a variety of gardening related hats – in alphabetical order they are:

• consultant
• designer – plants & whole gardens
• speaker
• teacher
• writer

Although based in the South East of England, I have worked with lovely clients needing garden design, garden consultancy and gardening lessons in other locations across the UK since 2001.

Garden Consultant

Helping to resolve gardening issues, mainly plant based ones rather than hard landscaping.  This service ranges from a garden advice visit to answer simple queries to a full blown research and report consultancy. I enjoy problem solving.

Garden Designer, Planting Designer

My passions are edible ornamental gardens and creating beautiful, practical spaces that are easy for people, pets and wildlife to share and maintain. Planting designs are always the fun bit where the mix of science, aka ‘right plant right place’ and creativity , aka the ‘wow’ factor. Fun but I should add, also hard work in getting the right combinations for the client, their garden and budget.

Garden Speaker

Giving talks to gardening and horticultural groups, WI and U3A  was a natural progression from teaching and giving workshops. Slideshow type talks have lots of photos, and the demonstration talks offer a chance for the audience to be involved too (if they want).

Gardening Teacher

Previously I taught City and Guilds Gardening, Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and my own courses at Adult Education College. Now I teach gardening lessons where my student’s garden is their classroom. Because let’s face it, whether you’re an experienced gardener who’d like to learn more or a total beginner, learning about the plants in your garden and how to care for them is pretty vital. Gardening Workshops may take place at a group’s venue, for example, community garden, or in my own garden, where I keep attendee numbers small to maximise your gardening experience.

Gardening Writer

I have published a gardening blog, Plews Potting Shed, on Plews website pretty much weekly since the end of 2011. Now an award winning blog, in Feedspot’s Garden Design category and their Gardening blog category, I haven’t yet run out of ideas to enlighten, amuse and educate Readers.

Other places I write for include the prestigious Landscapers Library, an online subscription resource for head gardeners, designers, gardeners, landscapers and others involved in the horticultural professions. Plus I’ve written – and still write for  – garden centre websites and various local magazines over the years. And sometimes I’m asked to write Book Reviews.  

Other writing includes eBooks, which are available for download from the Plews website as well as Amazon, Smashwords and other places. I have also worked in collaboration with others on a new look children’s gardening book series. Currently I’m working on a collection of gardening related short stories plus the history, renovation and restoration of our new garden which we moved into in summer 2022. See Spitfires and Slow Worms

What else?

Hands on is key, gardening lessons, workshops and planting up my designs. I don’t do much hard landscaping myself now, but a brick wall I built 30 years ago is still standing, so it’s not because I’m bad at it, just that others are better! Photography is also an important part of what I do and some 50% of the photos on the website are mine.

A member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) and the Professional Garden Consultants Association (PGCA), my original degree was joint honours in Law and History to which I have since added gardening and garden design qualifications. I am also a Full Member of the Garden Media Guild (for garden writers and photographers)

Additional Interests

When not gardening or reading in my own garden, I enjoy exhibitions and films, most genre from foreign language through to sci-fi. Plus lots of walking, with and without dogs, and sometimes along the top of walls. And of course drinking strong coffee, good wine and eating tasty cheese scones.