From a young age I was drawn to the outdoors. Some of my earliest memories are of running around in local parks, picking rhubarb with my grandparents and learning to grow busy lizzies from cuttings in jars of water. I didn’t understand it then, but I always felt more at ease outside than anywhere else.
My career, however, began somewhere very different. I studied business management at university and secured a place on an IBM graduate scheme before I had even finished my degree. Before starting work, I spent six months volunteering and travelling in Chile with Raleigh International. Living outdoors, camping daily and learning survival skills reconnected me with something I hadn’t realised I’d lost — a strong sense of belonging in nature.
Back in the UK I began office life, and while I enjoyed the role, I found myself longing for weekends so I could play sports outside or enjoy hiking in nature. The feeling grew stronger each year until, in my mid-twenties, I handed in my notice without another job to go to. Walking away from a secure career was daunting, but I knew I needed to explore a different path.
During a period of volunteering, a friend invited me to a plant identification evening class at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I nearly didn’t go, assuming gardening wasn’t really for me. The class was led by horticulturist Simon Gulliver, who arrived carrying armfuls of freshly cut branches and asked, “Who’s ready to learn more about what’s out there?” That evening changed everything. His enthusiasm and knowledge revealed a world I hadn’t realised existed.
I enrolled in horticultural qualifications and joined the Botanical Gardens’ trainee scheme, where supportive staff and fellow trainees played a huge role in my development. Graduating as one of the top students led to a place on the RHS Diploma at Wisley. Living and training on site was transformative, and under the leadership of Colin Crosbie and later Matt Pottage, curators at Wisley, I gained a real understanding of standards, plant knowledge and horticultural professionalism. My first experience of RHS flower shows also introduced me to the wider industry — designers, landscapers and nursery growers all working together.
After graduating as the Wisley Top Trainee, my first full-time role was as a gardener at Wisley, managing the Seven Acres area of the garden. I later joined the RHS shows team, eventually becoming show manager at Hampton Court Flower Show. While I loved the shows and the people I met there, watching designers bring ideas to life made me realise I wanted to design gardens myself.
Alongside full-time work, I studied part-time for a landscape architecture MSc, completing it with distinction. It was a demanding period, but it gave me the confidence to establish my own practice in 2017. Early medals at Tatton Park and Hampton Court helped the business grow, followed by projects including the Royal Reflection Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2023. In 2025 I achieved a lifelong ambition by winning an RHS Gold Medal at Chelsea for the London Square Chelsea Pensioners Garden and later the same year I returned to Wisley as a designer to create the Greener Skills Garden, encouraging young people into horticulture — a particularly meaningful full-circle moment.
I am currently working in Japan on a show garden for the first Fukuoka Flower Show. Leaving my original career felt risky at the time, but it led me to an industry full of generosity, creativity and shared passion. None of it would have been possible without the encouragement and patience of my family along the way. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of it, and I hope my journey shows that it is never too late to find the right path even if your not sure where to look.
This has been written by garden designer Dave Green.
Wonderful article that describes the trials and tribulations that Dave went through when he changed career paths. He is a credit to his family and to the garden design profession. We wish him all the very best for the future.