Today's the Day

Today's the Day
A much better week ahead weatherwise ,,, feeling spring-like when the sun makes an appearance!
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United Kingdom
My career in horticulture began when I left school in 1979 and joined Rochford’s Houseplants as an apprentice. After completing college in Lancashire, I embarked on a career in the retail world spending over 12 inspiring years at All-In-One Garden Centre near Rochdale. A career change in 1994 took me into gardening journalism and broadcasting, initially working as a sub-editor on Amateur Gardening, before launching Gardens Ideas magazine as well as editing Water Gardener and the garden website Gardening365. I continue to contribute to a host of consumer and in recent year’s trade publications as well as co-authoring a book. Over the past four years, I’ve returned to the garden centre trade as Plant Publicity Manager at Buckingham Garden Centre & Nurseries. We are developing the website and the social network sites as this is important in linking the two. I would describe myself as a hands-on gardener with a passion for plants, I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and I’m a contributor to local BBC radio for over 22 years. I've been involved as a judge from 2008-2010 in the prestigious Horticulture Week Retail Awards.

Monday 2 March 2009

Doyen of gardening Geoffrey Smith dies at 80


As a teenager I used to watch Geoffrey Smith on the television. I have many of his books, and I was saddened to here that he passed away last Friday after a short illness. A well-versed Yorkshire man, who developed the famous Harlow Carr Gardens, he's been described as the Geoffrey Boycott of the gardening world by many people. I loved his wisdom, his passion for plants and the English language, Smith was a great communicator of gardening. His manner was often blunt, yet his sense of knowledge of all subjects was immense. He was a panelist of BBC Radio 4's Gardener's Question time for two decades as well as presenting Gardeners' World in the early 1980's for two years.

A truly unique character in the world of horticulture, who had great rapport with audiences, will be greatly missed.
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Images from Beth Chatto's Garden

Images from Beth Chatto's Garden
The Garden Centre visited Beth Chatto's Garden, Elstead Market in Essex last September (2010)

Me and Elaine Page at this year's Chelsea Flower Show

Me and Elaine Page at this year's Chelsea Flower Show

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Be inspired at Hill Top House

Be inspired at Hill Top House
The dreamy gardens of Beatrix Potter

Fancy a good read? Check out Chris's book

Fancy a good read? Check out Chris's book
The book is available at Amazon