Mark Lane is a TV Presenter and honour - winning Landscape Designer who has function on a range of shows let in BBC Morning Live and Gardener ’s World – and most recently designed BBC Morning Live ’s Budget Friendly Garden at RHS Hampton Court in 2023 .
He also on a regular basis presents coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show on the BBC and has written innumerous gardening column for publications such as The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph .
I speak to Mark about the origin of his calling and some of his favored memory board of his career in gardening .
How Did You First Get Into Gardening?
“ I first got into gardening when I was a young boy , ” divvy up Mark . “ I call back following my grandparents around in the garden .
“ My grandad used to develop vegetables at the end of the garden and would learn me how to look after the soil , how to plant things , how to care for the plants , how to take cuttings and how to sow cum .
“ My grandmother was a heyday arranger , so she instruct me about semblance , shape , form and grain and how to put them all together . Obviously , at the time , I had absolutely no estimation that it would stick with me for year to hail , I was in all likelihood only 5 or 6 !
“ I always care for those lovely instant that I had with my father ’s parents .
“ On my female parent ’s side , my grandparents ’ garden was just full of rose . As kids , all we ever wanted to do was go outdoors and play , but my grandma used to get us move out there tocrush the aphidswith our fingers and pick up the leavesthat had bleak spoton them .
“ I have such fond retentiveness of being with all of my grandparents in the garden . ”
From That, What Led You To A Career In Horticulture?
“ I became interested in landscapes whilst I was studying Art History at University College London ” Mark explains . “ There was always a love of nature present during my prison term there .
“ I then went into publication and dealt with a lot of landscape architects throughout my clock time as the Publishing Director for The Royal Institute of British Architects . From this , I really got to see about the grandness of how these two things , art and nature , act together .
“ Later on I became the Managing Director of Thames & Hudson and we started publishing bunch of horticulture Good Book . I was the commission editor on these and absolutely loved it . I work with the great unwashed like Christopher Lloyd , Beth Chatto and many other moderate horticulturists .
“ Unfortunately , in 2000 , I was in a cable car crash and I had to rethink my career path because I did n’t need to travel into London every twenty-four hours . My publishing companionship were amazing , they observe my business open until I decided what I require to do .
“ Throughout my rehabilitation , I got very lucky , as there was a Horticultural Therapist based where I was recovering . She used to take me outside and I was capable to sow some cum .
“ She was obviously focalize on how I was moving and breathing , but all I was focusing on was the flowers and the warmth on my face from the sun . For those 10 - 15 minutes each day , I forgot about everything else and just focus on that .
“ I got home one day and my hubby encourage me to look into doing something more creative combined with my love of gardening and plant . I was n’t convinced , but I started looking around online for some online courses I could do .
“ in brief after I started up Mark Lane Garden Designs Ltd and from that , television , presenting and everything else just sort of came along . ”
Do You Have A Process For Designing Gardens? Is There Anything You’re Particularly Inspired By?
“ I ’m very much exalt by the landscape and the computer architecture , so I ’m very lucky that in most of my projects there is a really beautiful property tie to the space I ’m designing .
“ I want to also ensure that the garden fits in with the landscape painting around it . I like to go and look around the garden to see what ’s growing nearby . If I can , I use those plant life or cultivate versions of those plant in the garden , so it ’s almost like a unlined connectedness between the garden and the landscape .
“ For me , it ’s about strain to ascertain the most sustainable ways of create a garden that hopefully will be used for many years to come . It also needs to be rich in biodiversity .
“ With me also being in a wheelchair , I center on pass water the space accessible and ensuring that they can be used for many years to come with paying attention to the people who own it .
“ None of us knows what ’s run to go on , so it ’s deserving boost the clients to reckon at those early stages about accessibility and how long they want to live at that dimension .
“ Sustainability , biodiversity and availableness are the core parts of my drill . ”
Do You Have A Favourite Memory Of A Garden You’ve Designed?
“ There was one garden that surrounded an honest-to-goodness 18th - one C house , ” portion out Mark . “ It was huge and surrounded by trees .
“ That gave me the idea to create a forest glade garden because there were no seeable boundaries in condition of wall and fences , so it looked like the garden just go on and on .
“ It was one of those spaces that I really wish we got to wind up , but deplorably the client ran out of money .
“ Having said that , every garden is peculiar for me because we are creating these outside spaces for clients that can be entirely wide-ranging . That ’s why I love it so much .
“ These quad will hopefully be used for many years to come , so they ’re all particular in their own agency . ”
What Are Your Standout Career Moments?
“ Doing the RHS BBC Morning Live Budget Friendly Garden was a great one to do , specially with the cost - of - living crisis , as it was a great means of showing the great unwashed that horticulture is sound for us and our scoop if we just mean about thing in a slenderly different way .
“ I planted a tree at The Eden Project forThe Queens Green Canopy , which I felt very lucky to do .
“ I also evidently loved meeting Christopher Lloyd , as he was a literal hero of mine when it came to planting and plant combination . I almost became completely tongue - tied because I was in so much awe !
“ I think , on a mean solar day - to - day basis , the first time I cover Chelsea for the BBC was something that will stick with me forever . ”
Do You Have Any Upcoming Projects You’d Like To Share?
“ I ’m lick with the charitySENSEon their beautiful dimension TouchBase Pears , ” he suppose . “ It comes with quite a big site , so we are flex most of it into an approachable garden .
“ We desire it to become a guide for those who are also looking to make approachable space . Funding is one of the main number with the client being a charity , but they ’ve just managed to lift enough to get started , so that will be awesome and hopefully change a band of people ’s living for the better .
“ I ferment with and am an ambassador for the Greek valerian Thrive and they attend and hold Roger Sessions at TouchBase pear tree , so get people with disabilities together through gardening to positively change mass ’s lives is something I am proud to be a part of .
“ I ’m also working with the Actor Rory Kinnear to start a garden for a abode he rig up for those with stark handicap .
“ It ’s about making it a playful space that is still suitable for adult , which will hopefully make such a difference of opinion to the lives of the people who live there . ”
What Advice Would You Give To Aspiring Gardeners?
“ Just keep trying , ” says Mark . “ That ’s the beauty of horticulture , we all see from our mistakes .
“ Start with minuscule industrial plant . It ’s a lot cheaper and , before you experience it , they ’ll fill out your garden and it will depend awful .
“ Incorporate gardening into your life and you ’ll feel so much full .
“ For aspiring house decorator , just go for it . We really call for immature people to add up into the manufacture and horticulture . Garden design is an unbelievable career to have . Yes , 70 - 80 % of your time will be spend at your information processing system coming up with the plan , but the other clip you ’re out meet people and discovering newfangled trends .
“ No day is ever the same , which is why I love it so much . You get such a reinforcement from learn your client smile and knowing you get it correct . Just keep at it . ”
