My parents tell me that I was keen on
plants from a very early age, and that when I was only four or five
years old I could identify and name several garden plants by their
botanical name. It's amazing how school takes things away from you;
as I grew up those early gardening days drifted further and further
back. The pressure of the controlled learning environment of school,
coupled with every child's desire to fit in, suppressed my passion
for gardening for many years.
My turning point came when I was maybe
13 or 14 years old. At the time we lived in Snowdonia, and my dad
took me to the then fairly new nursery at Crug Farm near Caernarfon.
It was a dull and cold day, and while my dad looked at the plants he
was interested in I wandered aimlessly around the sales area. It was
there that a little plant caught my eye, Arisarum proboscideum, the
'Mouse Plant'. Beneath glossy arrow-shaped leaves I found a strange
structure that looked like the back end of a mouse (complete with
tail) digging in the ground. I was fascinated by this plant, bought
it, took it home and planted it. I guess like all teenagers my
interest wavered, after all it wasn't really 'doing' anything. My
tiny plant disappeared, and that was the end of it... or so I
thought. Next year it reappeared, bigger and stronger, and that's
when I was hooked!
 |
| Here's where it started, Arisarum proboscideum |
When I was old enough I took a Saturday
and show season job with an Alstroemeria specialist who also grew
other things. Here I met Arisaemas, the 'Cobra Lilies', and forged my
strong interest in aroids, the members of the Arum family. From this
core interest in a fascinating part of the plant world I expanded my
interests into all sorts of other interesting plants, including
carnivorous plants, alpines and woodland plants.
After sixth form college I was tired of
the education world and, very dangerously it must be said,
decided to go into work rather than follow the tried and tested path
to higher education. Why dangerous? It is a lot easier to show your
worth in the real world if you have a piece of paper to prove it! A
qualification would almost certainly have made life a lot easier for
me.
My first full time proper job was at a
garden centre in the North West. Sadly it has now closed down, but I
remember my time there fondly. It was quite daunting being part of a
small but very busy team; we worked hard together to make sure that
our plants were presented well and properly cared for, and that our
customers were given good honest advice. Regardless of my own
personal interests at the time I was expected (by customers and by my
colleagues) to be competent at all areas of horticulture, and it was
at this point in my career that I realised something; I love finding
out about things! I really enjoy researching different areas of
horticulture, whether it be plants, gardens or horticultural
techniques.
Since then I have allowed my passion to
grow. I now work for a nursery in Cornwall, growing and selling an
enormous range of nursery stock. I've continued to expand my
knowledge and experience, and I'm involved in most nursery
activities! I've also taken up photography, and feel a great sense of
satisfaction when I 'bag' a good picture of a plant. Many of these
photos I share via my Twitter account (@bensbotanics) and my Facebook
page (search for Ben's Botanics), or on my main site www.bensbotanics.co.uk.
I can't put my finger on just one thing
that keeps me fascinated by plants; I marvel at their very intricate
lives, from the way their buds burst, their flowers are arranged, the
development of their seeds and how they're set, as well as their
clever and ingenious ways of simply staying alive. There is a world
of interest out there, accessible to anyone with a passion for
appreciating the natural world, and all you need to do is look!
I am always glad to hear from other
gardeners, as well as answering any questions. I hope that you enjoy
my blog.
Ben
PS. No pictures of me? I don't like having my
picture taken, so very few exist, certainly no recent ones!
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