Life on Earth
No matter how far you travel or how deep into the unknown you delve, one beautiful constant is the abundance of life that springs from the earth. Jungles are the earths lungs, and the forests are her nourishment. Vast sandy deserts are sprinkled with thirsty succulents and flora can be found in cities, suburbs, fields, and plains. Lavender or thyme will find a crack in the pavement and in the silent white of the arctic tundra, there is caribou moss and cotton grass. Every continent has its native vegetation, and all life has a vital role to play in the preservation of mother earth.
It is therefore no surprise that the art and science of Horticulture dates back thousands of years. As the unenlightened among us enjoy the fragrant splendor of a meticulously cultivated lawn or the mysterious fantasy of a wild secret garden, we are blissfully unaware of the rich yet delicate balance that brings these spaces to life.
Image: Calverley Park Tunbridge Wells, Greg Leeson.
The Enlightened
Thankfully, the British Academy of Garden Design (BAGD) is teeming with enlightened horticulturists who are there to share their knowledge with any budding garden designers who are willing to learn. One of these seed bombs is the tutor, Greg Leeson. But Greg is more than a tutor, Greg is a sponge!
From an early age, Greg knew he wanted to be outside. He was fascinated with trees and plants and couldn’t bear the prospect of spending his professional life at a desk. Once he left school, the family business was there for the taking but instead, Greg took to the road. For the next few years Greg travelled around Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Malaysia, and Japan, to name but a few. It was on his travels that Greg cemented his future and confirmed his suspicions. He wanted only to work under the sky! Having experienced such diverse vegetation and climates, his mind would open to the global connection between all living things, all the while feeling that urge to share.
Image: Completion of Caiger's Garden, Greg Leeson.
Back in Blighty
Once back home in Britain, the next few decades would be a litany of accolades including a Chelsea Flower Show gold, and a Grand Tour of academia. He began in Oakland college where he won prizes for his designs, then onto Kew Gardens School of Horticulture where there were more prizes and a teaching post. Then it was Hadlow where he designed Broadview gardens and next the English Gardening School and The Chelsea Physic Garden with Rosemary Alexander.
While he was working there, Greg began building his own design company. After several years Greg moved on to Capel Manor where he was department head for all horticulture courses and then found himself in Hampton Court Palace as garden and estates horticulture manager. He may not have been travelling around the world, but he never stopped moving. Greg is tireless, he is fearless and always curious.
Image: Completion of Caiger's Garden, Greg Leeson.
They say a rolling stone gathers no moss, but this rolling stone has gathered all the moss, not to mention grass, trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, herbs, berries and basically anything that grows on this earth.
Greg is a propagator of knowledge
Greg’s garden work and his teaching style are pure symbiosis. A plant will never tell you what to do, and if you treat it well, it will blossom. He doesn’t believe in preaching and will not enforce his opinions, instead, Greg is a propagator of knowledge.
The only thing he encourages is passion. Greg is acutely aware of how people today are very much divorced from mother earth and if he could change one thing about the school education system, it would be to teach young children about the global eco-system to help them understand and respect the finely tuned orchestra of life. Kids have no idea of the life cycle of the head of lettuce that’s in their fridge or the egg that’s on their breakfast plate.
Image: Greg Leeson.
Although Greg sees himself as a conduit, he will suggest to students that sustainable and renewable initiatives should be considered. When planning a garden design, he encourages students to think of including a water storage option and to always question where for example, stone or other materials came from, and how they got there.
Plus, for every tree he is forced to take down, he plants three more. Greg sees trees as wise old creatures, aloft in the breeze and witnesses of history. And like the trees, Greg has the wisdom to know that almost any outside space can house the right kind of tree.
Image: Greg Leeson.
Teach the world
If Greg could teach the world one thing it would be to learn from the recent Covid19 pandemic. In order to pull the planet from the brink of catastrophe, we need to recalibrate and readjust. Planes were grounded and factories were shut down and pollution levels quickly dropped. But we seem to have returned to pre-pandemic levels and nothing has changed. But Greg is a glass half full guy and while wild parakeets in London is alarming evidence of global warming, he has faith that if he continues his work and others play their part, mother earth can be saved.
Image: Greg Leeson.
Gregory is a talented and creative horticulturist, landscape architect, designer and manager with over 20 years’ experience creating inspiring garden spaces. His most recent role as Gardens and Estates Horticultural Manager at Hampton Court Palace allowed him to lead on the design, planning, implementation and horticultural operations across the formal gardens and at The Tower of London. He has had senior roles lecturing in Garden Design and Horticulture at Capel Manor College, RBG Kew and Hadlow College, where he designed and built The Broadview Gardens and won Gold medal at the Hampton Court Flower Show. He has led his own successful Garden Design and Landscape Company, which came about due to successfully completing the Kew Diploma with distinction at The Royal Botanic Gardens, winning overall best student design prize and gold at The Chelsea Flower Show.
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