Now with his own garden, Mike details how his gardening has changed, and what perspectives it has brought to his life.

“I have a greater appreciation of looking after our planet, as such, sustainability, biodiversity, reducing the use of plastic and peat in my garden is a priority. I don’t use chemicals and will look for naturalistic and/or alternative approaches to dealing with pests and diseases. With my interest in looking to eliminate/reduce the use of plastic in my garden, coir-based products have been a great option. I now use coir based pots for potting on newly propagated cuttings, and I love the coir based growing medium for sowing seeds and propagating, especially. I also have a wider and more considered approach to planting now. Planting in larger numbers for greater impact, using plants that attract pollinators and, of course, planting something new to me whenever I can. As a plant-a-holic, I love trying new plants in the garden and new combinations”.

Gardening is an activity which can bring something different to each person. Some crops and plants are harder to grow than others, gardening can often be weather dependent and there are a whole range of benefits it can bring to people’s lives. Mike tells us of his own unique experiences with gardening.

“I garden every single day, except when the weather is ridiculously wet or too cold. But whatever the weather, I will always step outside for my daily ‘garden inspection’. With growing, if you adopt the thought process of’ right plant, right place’, there shouldn’t be a problem. I always choose plants that will (on paper at least) thrive in the conditions that I can give them in my Bournemouth garden. Whenever I try a plant which might not thrive in my borders, I will try and containerise it and grow it that way.