I am a head gardener and the main topic for my Fellowship is the exploration of regenerative horticulture through soil management, looking at both gardening and agriculture.

The purpose of my Fellowship is to create a management plan that focuses on soil health to improve plant growth, lawns, ecosystems and safe spaces for people to visit, devoid of harmful chemical inputs, both synthetic and organic. I also researched the correct methods of compost creation, management and how best to apply this.

I am very passionate about this topic because I have worked in gardens for years and I never understood the soil and its needs. We take soil and, even more so, compost for granted, thinking anything we do can only be good when in fact it is usually more damaging.

I visited the USA, looking at organic agriculture and gardens that focus their management on soil health to create healthy places. I have also been to Europe, looking at nursery potting mixes and bio-dynamic farming. I hope to visit South Korea to look further into natural farming.

The Fellowship has given me so much and has allowed me to help a lot of people to create healthy gardens.