Taking time out from my work as a Psychiatrist to complete the KLC-West Dean garden design diploma was a chance to rekindle a creative side that had been on the back burner for years. The course gave me space to explore the subject in more depth and reminded me how much I enjoy making things and thinking in new ways.
I’ve been inspired by incredible gardens like Great Dixter and the people who care for them, and I’m always on the lookout to learn more about what makes a good garden. Care for our natural environment is an idea I keep coming back to in my life. This consideration has very much shaped my approach to gardening.
I’m still working in the NHS as a doctor, where I work with people experiencing psychosis—many of my patients are on the margins of society. Ideas from psychoanalysis have given me a fresh perspective on how cultivated spaces can bring people back into feeling valued and connected, both with ourselves and the world around us. Likewise, marginal elements of the garden are also vital for our ecosystem to thrive, and countercultural elements of design are more often than not, the best part.
