About Myself

Hello! I’m Gareth and I am a professional gardener living in rural Herefordshire with my wife Stephanie, together with our beautiful cat and dog, Martha & Bridie. In the summer of 2016, after deciding to make a dramatic career change away from being a research scientist, I established myself as a self-employed gardener. It was the best decision I could have made at the time and since then I haven’t looked back. During my time as a gardener I have met some wonderful people and have absolutely loved caring for and bringing to life their gardens. Long may it continue!

In my spare time I enjoy relaxing by doing wildlife photography (please feel free to see my Etsy page), going birdwatching, fishing and taking trips away in our vintage 1980s Bedford Campervan. Oh and I also love looking after our own garden here at Northlea.

My Garden

In the Autumn of 2020, my wife and I moved to a beautiful ‘chocolate box’ black and white cottage in Letton called Northlea. The garden was largely lawn, patio and gravel terraces, together with a smattering of evergreen shrubs, roses and a few herbaceous perennials. Although we rent, I could absolutely see the potential to transform this into our dream garden to accompany the beautiful house. When I started I knew that I wanted our garden to be a haven for both us and wildlife of all kinds (it’s all welcome here, even so-called ‘pests’ – you’ve just got to learn to live with them). It also had to be productive as there is nothing quite as rewarding and delicious as eating your own fruit and vegetables; from garden to plate in mere seconds is just the best!

Over that Autumn and Winter of 2020/2021, I spend the majority of my spare time landscaping in preparation for our first full season in the garden. As a result the garden has really come to life and is broadly divided into different ‘themes’, each with their own vibe and feel. A gravel garden filled with herbaceous perennials flanks either side of a path up to our summer borders, which showcase sweet peas, dahlias, lupins, hardy geraniums and our oak barrel wildlife pond. A spring garden accompanies the summer borders, with the former transforming into a wildflower meadow as the seasons evolve. This upper section of the garden also plays host to our vegetables and greenhouse. Finally, a stepping stone path guides us to the shady gravel terrace, which is festooned with erysimum and miscanthus sinensis, and edged with shade loving plants such as hostas, lily of the valley and brunnera.

My Philosophy

Most gardeners work to a philosophy and it turns out I am no different. As touched upon above, what I really want to deliver in a garden is a little piece of personal paradise for my clients. Everyone’s vision will be different, but what I hope to bring with me is an ethos that helps to embrace all forms of wildlife and to work with nature wherever and whenever possible. As such, I try to work as ‘organically’ as possible and keep the use of pesticides and chemicals to an absolute minimum. Believe me, it’s the key to a happy, healthy and biodiverse garden.

I want my clients to feel supported in the maintenance and creation of their gardens and get the absolute best from my knowledge. I love nothing more than sharing information about gardening and horticultural techniques, both new and well established. I always consider that everyones gardens are different, not just from a personal perspective but also their environment, ranging from soil type to aspect.

It’s a key truth that you should take your time when creating something new in the garden and one I firmly believe; plan and consider everything you need to do to make it as successful as possible. That being said, all gardeners make mistakes from time to time (anyone who claims they haven’t is just lying!), and learning from them will simply make us better. Most importantly, always remember that gardening is not an exact science, but there are always useful rules of thumb that we can use to help get you to your horticultural dreams.