I knew at the age of 18 that i wanted to have a career that would spark a passion in me and have me springing out of bed on a morning. I had always been keen on gardening when i lived with my parents and sisters in rural Leicestershire, living the 'Good Life' and running wild in our family garden and veg patch. Having completed an Environmental Management and Conservation degree and bought my first house at 21, i immediately wanted to be outside, concentrating my efforts in the small patch of green which came with the property. I read books and magazines on gardening, watched Gardeners World religiously and any other garden related programmes, visited gardens, plant nurseries and garden centres avidly, wanting to learn as much as i could about propagating, growing and tending plants and gardens. I knew that this was going to be a life long passion and if i could make a living from it i would try my hardest to do so. I enrolled at the reknowned Brooksby Horticultural College on their Royal Horticultural Society year long course, to learn the basics of gardening and horticulture (being awarded a distinction 12 months on) and I went in search of a job at a local nursery in October 2000. I still can't believe i was lucky enough to be offered a position at Brooklea Nurseries in Rothley as a nursery assistant especially as winter was fast approaching. The traditionally run Retail Nursery and Market Garden was the perfect place to learn and I soaked up information like a sponge. I was responsible for growing, sourcing, tending and displaying plants and as my knowledge grew I would also offer advise to the amateur gardeners who came to the nursery in search of quality plants for their gardens. I continued to garden my small plot and took on 2 allotments to grow fruit, vegetable and cut flowers. I really was living and breathing horticulture and gardening 24/7! Over the 9 years I worked at Brooklea, I climbed through the ranks, eventually managing the nursery and market garden for the last two years. I came to a point where I wanted to increase my knowledge of the industry further so in 2009 I moved to Miles Nurseries Ltd in the village of Hoby near Melton Mowbray. There I would take on the roll of Production and Retail Manager, using the knowledge of growing, tending and selling plants to increase the range of plants sold and grow the business. The nursery is a mix of Wholesale - supplying garden centres, nurseries, garden designers, landscapers and gardeners in the trade -and retail - offering plants grown on site to members of the public. Working at the nursery has allowed me to develop my plant knowledge further, so that i now have the reputation as the go to 'Plant Expert' locally. I still work a couple of days a week at the nursery which enables me to keep my knowledge up to date, source my plants from a quality grower and maintain links with many of the local designers, landscapers, tree surgeons and gardeners. I am regularly asked by these professionals to provide advice and consult on projects they are carrying out themselves. When I started at Miles Nurseries, I also enrolled in a Diploma in Garden Design, for which I was awarded a distinction. The Training allowed me to formalise my design process and create landscaping and planting design plans to transform gardens for my clients. You can see examples of projects I have worked on in my portfolio. So how do I use the expert knowledge and design skills I developed over the last 21+ years to help clients create and manage their own green spaces? Well there is more information on my Planting Design page and I will explain in more detail in an upcoming Advice Hub post, so check back soon... If you need advice and inspiration for your garden space I offer a bespoke service of Garden Design Packages and Planting Design Packages. Find out more about our services on our FAQ page and if you are ready to discuss your project Get in Touch. Author: Bel Grierson of Bel Grierson Garden Design LimitedExpert Plantswoman, Garden and Planting Designer with 21+ years experience in horticulture. Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small. Comments are closed.
|
Welcome to the
|
RSS Feed