Born to Garden

Introducing our new monthly contributor, gardener and exotic plant enthusiast, Conrad McCormick.

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Foliage is king in the exotic garden. Ideally, a plant must have good leaves to warrant a place in my plot. I’ve filled my garden with tree ferns, Dicksonia Antartica... I’M A COMPLETE, TOTAL, OBSESSIVE PLANT GEEK!

I think about little else much of the time, driven by a primal desire to seek out the new, the exciting, something different or the downright weird. lustfully chasing the next thrilling plant acquisition to add to my already burgeoning bounty, I’m a more is more kind of gardener.

I had an inkling that I was different as a child when my family started to call me (80s reference alert!) David Bellamy. I could always be found roaming the countryside, looking under stones, searching for interesting insects and the likes, or taking cuttings from plants to add to my parents’ new garden.

I somehow found myself in charge of my primary school’s pelargonium collection, though I’ll admit I was rather neglectful, spending time in the playground often took priority overwatering and deadheading. but by the time I got to secondary school, peer pressure forced that love of plants to be suppressed, publicly at least. While at home my hobby gathered pace with the gift of a large glasshouse from my parents, opening up a whole world of plants to try.

I now design gardens, contribute to radio and tv as well as writing, so I’ve come a long way since those early days of hiding my gardening light under a bushel.

Gardening is, by nature, a solitary activity, however social media has created the opportunity for gardeners to share their creations with like-minded plant geeks the world over. one only has to glance at Instagram to see the massive and growing interest in both indoor and outdoor plants among younger generations.