Imagine being able to enjoy and share a beautiful garden that looks good and suits you and your lifestyle. Often the secrets to success are simpler than you might imagine while the experience and ideas of a seasoned gardening eye can help you achieve the garden of your dreams.

But David isn’t just a garden designer. Like any well-regarded expert, his wealth of knowledge and passion for plants, gardens and growing is founded on a full understanding of his subject and many years of experience. He started gardening as a child, nurtured by relatives who recognised his natural ability and passed on their own tips and skills. His first job, prior to going to horticultural college, was on a plant nursery in the walled gardens at Holkham Hall, Norfolk where his propagation and cultivation techniques were honed and, throughout his working life, he has continued an association with the horticultural industry as a consultant with growers, nurseries and major retailers in the UK and abroad.

Passion for gardening

Studying for a Higher National Diploma in Amenity Horticulture at Writtle College served to cement all his early knowledge, founding it on scientific principles and recognised techniques, including garden design and maintenance. The huge value of this education, realised in David a vocation to communicate his own passion to others through teaching, journalism and broadcasting, something he is also able to achieve by consulting with amateur gardeners in their own plot.

Over the last 30 years David has not only written about and taught all aspects of practical gardening, but has worked with both beginners and seasoned gardeners to create plot solutions. He has designed and planned new gardens from scratch, revamped and tweaked existing plots, and refined border plantings to create more cohesive and stylish effects.

In that time he has also planted award-winning show gardens at Chelsea for Adam Frost, Jekka McVicar and other designers, as well as designing and building show gardens and sets at Gardeners’ World Live and The Ideal Home Show. And throughout his life David has never lost sight of the importance of keeping his fingers green by growing ornamentals as well as edibles in a variety of soils and climates in different parts of the UK.