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First plant love<\/strong> When I first moved to the UK from Australia I lived next to a river surrounded by nettles and after climbing through them so many times I developed an immunity to their sting. I always thought that was really cool. Horticultural hero As a female gardener who works alongside nature rather than trying to control it, Alys\u00a0Fowler is a great role model.<\/p>\n Favourite landscape and garden<\/strong> Great Dixter and its surrounding landscape. I completed my nursery traineeship at Great Dixter, and it was a dream come true to live and work there. From drinking coffee in the sunken garden to watching the sunset from the sheep field, every nook and cranny is a magical place that has really inspired me.<\/p>\n Most worthwhile tip for every gardener<\/strong> Create your own opinions on practices. As a student, at every new place\u00a0I worked, I was taught an opposing method to the last one, so I had to relearn everything. I soon realised that I could combine what I\u2019d learned from them all with my own experiences to form my own opinion.<\/p>\n Favourite \u2018weed\u2019 you\u2019re happy to have in your garden<\/strong>\u00a0As long as it\u2019s not bindweed, mare\u2019s tail or bittercress,\u00a0I tend to keep most weeds. I might weed out something\u00a0if I have a plant to replace it, but saying that, grass has no business being in the borders.<\/p>\n Guiding principles<\/strong> Sharing information, being understanding (as none of us knows everything!) and working determinedly towards sustainability.<\/p>\n The future of horticulture<\/strong> The Young Propagators Society, of which I\u2019m co-creator, sets out what I hope to be the future of horticulture: an accessible and sustainable industry where people share ideas, are open to new practices and encourage each other along the way.<\/p>\n Social media fix<\/strong> I really love the podcast In Defense of Plants and the plant ecology YouTube channel Crime Pays but Botany Doesn\u2019t. On Instagram houseplant grower @harriets.plants is also great because you can see how enthusiastic she is about growing her plants.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the next big project you\u2019ll be tackling in the garden?<\/strong> I\u2019ve just started my new job as senior propagator for the National Trust\u2019s Plant Conservation Centre, so I will be learning how it all works here, which is super-exciting.<\/p>\n