About The Colchester Gardener

It all began with my nan who used to take me around her garden and tell me the names of all the flowers. I used to love collecting the seeds in envelopes and carefully writing the names on them and dating them. Then she would show me how to sow them and we would watch them grow – needless to say that had me captivated.

At home my parents had a veggie plot at the end of their garden and whilst the ducks roamed and trampled on the flower beds (that definitely wouldn’t have been allowed in my nan’s picture-perfect garden), my parents were down the end of the garden busy growing vegetables. We tended to eat more seasonally back then, and it was apple or plum pie or crumble most evenings. We had a huge chest freezer in those days and my mum would prep and freeze all our produce to help last us throughout the year. Oh and the home made jams, and the baking….. this upbringing has definitely set me on the path I am on today.

When I was a teenager I remember growing roses from seed in my bedroom, then when I got my first flat in my early twenties I started growing tomatoes and cucumber plants on the balcony. But as soon as we moved into our first house we put in a small veggie bed and greenhouse. It wasn’t a big garden but it was a beautiful space, with lots of flowers and shrubs.

Then as our family grew we moved and with the new house came a plot of 1.5 acres. I had the greenhouse of my dreams, raised beds for veggies, an orchard and huge flower beds. My passion was to grow the plants from seed, and over the years like a picture I watched the garden come together.

But just like the seasons change so does life, and in this new chapter I have a new garden which I have fully landscaped from scratch. It’s on a smaller scale but still gives me the same pleasure if not more. Gardens do not have to be big to be beautiful and I have managed to make the best use of the space that works for me and my family.

As The Colchester Gardener I can also offer customers this same level of care and attention to their gardens. From general maintenance to advice on what to plant to suit your garden. My aim is to make your garden look beautiful!