The first plant I ever grew.
It was Ferocactus emoryi, which came from my grandma.
I always admired it in her greenhouse as a young child, and when she was taken ill,my granddad let me take it.I had it for years, until tragically one winter the heating failed in the greenhouse and I lost it.When I next see one for sale I’ll get it for my office windowsill to remind me of her.
The plant that shaped the gardener I am today.
Probably a yucca. I became fascinated with monocot plants such as 
beschorneria, cordyline and yucca, as they seemed massively exotic to me growing up in Yorkshire. I still love to use plants with sword-shaped leaves in the garden.
My favourite plant in the world.
The monkey puzzle tree. People say it’sa ‘marmite plant’ and I’m a lover. How couldn’t you be? I was lucky to travel to Chile with an RHS bursary to see them in their native habitat.
The plant that changed mylife.
It would have to be the group of plants known as conifers.
When I was young, we moved in to a house with a big garden, planted with nothing other than conifers.I spent time making densin them and then bought a book and set about identifying
them.They have stayed close to my heart, and I appear to have a reputation for planting them everywhere!
The plant that’s made me work hardest.
The Chilean bell flower (Lapageria rosea). I first saw this flower as a student at
Wisley – three leaves and a whopping great waxy flower like a big pink-red trumpet. I was instantly in love and, beinga fan of Chilean f lora, set about growing it. Some 10 years later, I have nothing to show forit, other than stories of die-back and other death-contributing factors.
I know they flourish with mild and wet conditions, which I don’t have at Wisley, and when I saw it in Sue Wynn-Jones’ garden at Crug Farm in North Wales, flourishing some 1.8m (6ft) up a drainpipe, dripping with flowers, I admitted defeat.
I couldn’t give it what it needed.
The plant I’d love to grow more.
Embothrium coccineum, the Chilean fire bush. It has wonderful bright red-orange flowers in early summer and is a memorable sight when seen in full f lower. They can be tricky to establish, but once settled, are worth the effort.
The plant I miss most while I’m travelling.
Two old yellow Lawsons cypress trees at Wisley on the aptlynamed Conifer Lawn. I have so many plants in my life, this is a difficult question, but I’m
very fond of them. Actually, I’d say conifers generally. Yellow ones are very unfashionable, and I love that the RHS has left these two monsters on the lawn near the iconic Wisley laboratory for the last century. They’ve survived many storms and the1 987 hurricane.
The plant I am in human form.
It would have to be a monkey puzzle.My initials even match!
Monkey puzzles have character and, while I wouldn’t describe myself as being prickly, I’ve never had a problem with speaking my mind. This might be something to do with being from Yorkshire! I’ve always been fascinated with foliage and textures, and when you see a branch tip up close, oracone, or the bark of an old specimen, they can be pardoned for the lack of blowsy flowers.
Russian seeds store semenamagazin.ru, all plant 1 $.
Unlike many ornamental cherries, this delicate Japanese one will fit intoanyspace, evenalarge container. Known as the Fuji cherry, its dainty pink-tinted buds erupt into white blossoms as winter merges into spring.
gardenusa 