+6mths

Sometimes it can be very hard to believe the people who mean you well. In a world chock full of cynicism even the kindest comments are taken with a pinch of salt, often as social pleasantries instead of solid encouragement.

Six months ago today, on the 7^th of November 2014, I was made redundant from a company I'd spent 10 years working for. During that time I had worked very hard to help that company build and maintain its reputation for horticultural excellence, it must be said against often considerable opposition from some colleagues as well as the business' manager and owners. There were a few of us 'die-hard' horticulturists there, all working tirelessly to produce the best quality products and provide the best possible service to the gardeners of Cornwall and further afield. In the end it was all in vain; the owners of the business had made it plain that they considered horticulture a second rate profession, and so they made their decision to purge the business of meaningful horticulture in order to focus their efforts on their foody nouveau riche customers, and in so doing discarding the customers that had been loyal to them for so many years.

When I left people told me I would have no difficulty filling my time with customers who would appreciate my skills and knowledge, but on the whole this hasn't been my experience. I do have customers who are absolutely delighted with my work and are happy to have me as their gardener, but I've also had my fair share of timewasters (people with unrealistic expectations of what a gardener can actually achieve and how little they can get away with paying!), as well as losing out more 'casual' work to a couple of guys who offer an 'expert gardening and building maintenance service' for less than the minimum wage!

I've been very lucky to have a part time job at the fabulous Endsleigh Gardens Nursery in Devon. It's a fantastic place to be; it's a small nursery that was nearly lost to us gardeners (due to the previous owner's retirement) but is now firmly back on the road to recovery. After my experience with my previous company I must say it's liberating to work for a business where horticulture is the priority, and not just some greenery to decorate a café and shop building. I'm indebted to this nursery not just for offering me work when I needed it but also for opening my eyes to the fact that growing plants actually is still a respectable thing to be doing!

I know I'm lucky to have been made redundant from my former employer; although I can do garden centre work standing on my head, their culture of 'image over substance' would drive me crazy! I started my career in a garden centre in Cheshire and have fond memories of it; we worked hard, had a limited budget and we had a huge garden centre just up the road, and yet we still developed a name for ourselves based on the quality of our advice and service. We had a crumbling infrastructure to contend with and not-so-understanding management team, and yet we had loyal customers because we offered substance. I don't think I could last in a business providing a thin veneer of quality but lacking meaningful substance, and neither would I be happy in an environment where horticulture, an industry and career I truly love, always plays second fiddle to everything else.

Horticulture is where my heart is, and although things haven't gone quite as expected, I do feel that things are moving in the right direction. Here's to the future!

Rhododendron 'XXL'- gorgeous!