{"id":10808,"date":"2022-05-13T10:40:40","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T08:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=78993"},"modified":"2022-05-17T11:02:30","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T09:02:30","slug":"chelsea-gardening-talent-tayshan-hayden-smith","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/chelsea-gardening-talent-tayshan-hayden-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea gardening talent: Tayshan\u00a0Hayden-Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Abigail Whyte\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 13 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

From professional footballer to garden activist, Tayshan Hayden-Smith has had an extraordinary journey through his young career, including leading one of the legacy gardens at this year\u2019s Chelsea Flower Show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Earliest gardening memory<\/h3>\n

My earliest gardening memory was with my late mother in our small garden in North Kensington. I had impulsively bought a baby banana tree with my full budget of \u00a35 at my school summer fair and I distinctly remember my mum jokingly saying, \u201cWell, where do you expect me to put this?\u201d The banana tree still stands proud at my mum\u2019s place in a pot in the sunny corner of the garden.<\/p>\n

Head to our Chelsea Flower Show hub page for all the latest coverage of the Show\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div>

\""A\"<\/div>
RHS \/ Luke MacGregor<\/figcaption><\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>

First plant love<\/h3>\n

Ferns. As a child, wandering through forests of ferns<\/a> on our family travels in the UK really evoked feelings of excitement and exploration, taking me to a different realm and allowing\u00a0my\u00a0imagination to run wild. There is also an avocado tree that I planted with my mum as a seed which has grown up alongside me and means a lot to me.<\/p>\n

Who has inspired your career?<\/h3>\n

My mother. Her teachings, love and way of life put me in good stead to embark on the journey that has been set out for me. I am forever indebted to her and try to continue her legacy through everything\u00a0that I do.<\/p>\n

You haven\u2019t always gardened\u2026<\/h3>\n

Gardening as a career is a complete change of direction for me, and I am still adjusting. When I see a perfectly mown lawn, I instinctively want to play football on it. Growing up, I\u2019d always have a football at my feet. My love for football was, and is, profound. My aspiration to be a professional footballer was met with hurdle after hurdle, although I had some success playing professionally in Austria and Cyprus. I dedicated my life to football, and it was only after the Grenfell\u00a0Tower fire [in 2017], when I turned to community guerrilla gardening<\/a> to heal, that I began to realise the social and environmental impacts of nature.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Grow2Know\u2019s Prairie Garden on Lancaster West Estate, West London.<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Trustees of the Natural History Museum<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Who are your horticultural heroes?<\/h3>\n

Designers Danny Clarke and Cleve West. I first met Danny at one of the lowest points in my life. After the Grenfell Tower fire, Danny had offered himself up to help the local community in any way he could. Being introduced to him was the best thing that could have happened to me. He\u2019s now a good friend, colleague and mentor, as well as a fellow director of Grow2Know<\/a>, the not-for-profit organisation\u00a0I founded in 2019. He is a prime example of how relatable and inspiring role models can have a positive impact on young people. If it wasn\u2019t for Danny, I wouldn\u2019t have pursued a career in horticulture.<\/p>\n

Cleve is another hero of mine, although I know he won\u2019t like me saying it. His kindness, humility and values have always empowered me, and I appreciate beyond measure the support and love he has shown me. If only there were more Cleves in the world.<\/p>\n

Which garden has most influenced you?<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile Gardens<\/a> in Paddington. This brilliant community garden was founded in 1976 by local resident Jamie McCollough on a patch of derelict council-owned land. As he explains on the website, he struggled to get the necessary permissions, paperwork and money to transform the site but when the council admitted it had no current plans for the plot, he managed to bring the community together to create this garden in the \u2018meanwhile\u2019.<\/p>\n

Back then the area around Meanwhile was one of the poorest in the country, and it still is today. It is less than two miles from Grenfell and much of the immigrant and working-class community that was devastated by the fire has roots and family in the estates around the garden. Its future is still not certain, but those around it continue to improve it, enjoy it, and feel part of it.<\/p>\n

Jamie wrote a book about the making of the garden \u2013 all the tensions, the effort, the victories and the disappointments \u2013 and what seeps from every sentence is the power of a vision to bring together a community.<\/p>\n

Favourite planting style<\/h3>\n

Naturalistic and informal. Gardens don\u2019t need to be perfect, and the environment and biodiversity should always\u00a0be considered.<\/p>\n

Favourite \u2018weed\u2019 you\u2019re happy to have in your garden<\/h3>\n

Dandelions take me back to my childhood and time spent outdoors with my mother, Nancy. Not to mention that as I\u2019ve grown older, I\u2019ve learned about the medicinal properties of the plant \u2013 that ain\u2019t no weed!<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Tayshan believes the dandelion should be cherished, not banished.<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Tim Graham\/Getty<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Three most worthwhile tips for every gardener<\/h3>\n