I grew up in the West Country, read English at Glasgow University and moved to Oxford in 1998 for postgraduate study .
After that I worked in secondary schools in and around the city, ending as a deputy headteacher. I loved my teaching career and look back on it with great fondness.
In 2025, I decided to turn my attention to horticulture and writing, two of my long-standing interests.
My interest in horticulture comes primarily from a love of Nature, wild plants and wild places. I credit much of my knowledge and interest in the natural world to my mum, who taught me to name and identify many British wildflowers and trees before I went to school.