Garden designer Maxine aims 'to leave a legacy' with her book

It's not unusual for Maxine Nelson to be pottering around the garden in her dressing gown on a morning, the delightful assault on her senses marking the dawning of another new day.

- by Laura Reid

The radiant flowers, the tweeting of the birds, the texture and fragrance of the flora. It's her happy place, all of it - and it's brought her peace and comfort in some of life's most challenging moments.

"Our garden has always been important," the 59-year-old says. "I've always loved going out there and just sitting every morning. I look at everything that's flowering and walk around in my dressing gown-people probably think I'm crazy, but it's just such a lovely space to be out in."

Maxine reflects on the power of gardens in a new book she has released to mark 20 years in business, after changing career from the civil service to horticulture in 2005. The garden designer from Cookridge, in Leeds, describes herself as a "lover of peaceful outdoor spaces... with a passion for wellbeing" and aims to help people to reconnect with their gardens "in a way that reflects who they truly are".

"I like being creative and making sure everybody's gardens are different," she said. "I'm not a cut and paste person where everybody gets the same circle or the same layout or whatever. Every garden is unique and that's what I pride myself on is making everybody's garden different so that it's bespoke for them."