JAMES WONG

The self-confessed plant geek on the fun of putting the detective work into horticulture, his love of houseplants and his fascination with Instagram

-  ANNIE GATTI

On James Wong’s website he describes himself as a professional plant geek, broadcaster and bestselling author. The unbuttoned ‘plant geek’ label is typical of James’s desire to communicate with as many people as possible, to open eyes to the importance of plants and the wonder of gardening. “Botanist most accurately describes what I am,” he explains, “but the trouble is, most people don’t know what botanists are. Ethnobotany, which is half anthropology and half botany, is what I understand best. There are lots of botanists who have never planted a seed, they just know what it looks under a microscope, but an ethnobotanist has to understand how to use plants, where they come from, how they can be grown and harvested. You also need to be able to go to a rural market in the mountains of Ecuador, as I have done, and go up to people and ask them all about the herbs they’re selling.”