If I can't find a label I think, “I'll remember that.” But I don't'

The celebrated garden designer Mary Keen on the importance of gardening over design, not killing pelargoniums and forgetting what she’s planted

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Why did you write your new book? I have been a garden designer for more than 40 years and a gardener for even longer, but I've always known that in the making of a garden, it's what the gardener, rather than the designer, does that really counts. Design gets too much coverage, so I wanted to shift the emphasis to the everyday watchfulness that keeps a garden growing. The fact that gardening is a very skilled and creative craft is not recognised enough.

What did you learn from writing it? How much there is still to learn. Horticulture is in the melting pot now and young gardeners are pioneering new ways of growing to cope with climate change. I find it hard to give up growing more traditional plants, but writing the book made me think harder about the importance of sustainability. I also realised that plants can trigger memories and connect you with the past.

What one idea would you like to share from the book? That being outside, working with plants as many days as you can is the best and healthiest way to spend time. Cheaper than a gym, easier than meditation, it is the most grounding thing – literally – that anyone can do.