About

“Had I the heaven’s embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light;
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
W.B.Yeats

I share my garden with a 14ft trampoline, two swings and a lot of footballs in the form of my two gorgeous children who care only that the garden is a place in which to play and so it should be. That does not however, mean it cannot also be a pretty and productive paradise, loved by pollinators and grown-up people alike!

My favourite plants in the garden are Lupins, Hostas, Foxgloves, Alliums, Hardy Geraniums and Salvias and my favourite colour in the garden is on the purple end of blue, peppered with pink, white and a flourish of red to colour the canvas as autumn closes in.

I love to grow produce to eat and there is no better feeling in the world than lifting home-grown fruit, veg and herbs from plot to plate. I grow potatoes, onions, cabbages, kale, leeks, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, turnips, peas, lettuce, beetroot, tomatoes, chillies, strawberries, apples, gooseberries, raspberries, chives, rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley amongst other experimental things.

And that is how I would describe my gardening style: experimental with a ‘give it a go’ attitude! There is nothing to lose in starting to garden or grow your own produce and everything to gain by growing healthier and happier in the process. I am a firm believer and advocate of the well-being benefits that gardening brings to our physical, mental and emotional health.

If you are just starting on your gardening journey, please do not be afraid to ask questions, we all started somewhere and no one is an expert on absolutely everything – drop me a line to thepinkwheelbarrow@hotmail.com. Or if you fancy getting social, you can find The Pink Wheelbarrow on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter.

Services

In addition to gardening blogging, I am a freelance gardening writer, so do feel free to get in touch if you are looking for editorial for your publication. I am based in Scotland so perfectly placed to write about the wonders of our natural landscape or the myriad of fabulous Scottish gardens worth a visit.

With a background in marketing, I am often approached to create or support garden-related social media or marketing campaigns and I love spreading the word about the marvels of gardening.

As a gardening speaker, I give talks to gardening clubs and horticultural societies locally and via Zoom for those further afield.

I am an RHS Schools Mentor in High Schools and as a former teacher, offer training in school gardening projects to teaching staff.

On a Wednesday morning I am involved in a community gardening group which always reinforces the value of gardening as a social activity: chatting plants and plans with others lifts your mental outlook and provides a window to look to a shared future.

I facilitate group gardening sessions and talks at workplaces, schools or care homes where activities can be tailored to the needs of the group. Sessions on table top gardening, preparing floral Christmas table arrangements or wreaths, bulb planting, growing herbs, making a terrarium, sowing salad crops and microgreens for windowsills and many other seasonal activities can be arranged. Get in touch for a chat and we can make a plan together. Sessions can easily take place over Zoom and make for a fun staff activity to support well-being in a socially distanced environment.

I offer a limited number of Guided Gardening sessions where we garden side-by-side in your garden so you can learn as you go, with me on hand to advise and help. This useful if you have one of those gardens where you ‘don’t know where to start’, or maybe you just need someone to make a planting plan for you but want to do all the gardening yourself. Get in touch for a consultation and a walk around your garden over a cuppa.

I am always interested in involvement in a gardening project or collaboration so please, do not be afraid to ask.

Drop me a line to thepinkwheelbarrow@hotmail.com or come and chat on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you!