About Susanne Barker
01/ Gardener
As a hands on gardener I understand the practicalities of establishing and maintaining a beautiful garden, which allows me to design planting plans that work for you and your garden. Gardens are an ever evolving space and I can share ongoing advice and ideas to ensure the garden gets better and better with time.
02/ Planting Designer
First and foremost I am a plant lover and collector. Having started with an allotment many years ago my gardening love moved into the rest of the garden. I still love to grow as many of my garden plants as possible from seed, including perennials, annuals, biennials and a myriad of vegetables, herbs and flowers for my kitchen garden.
My cottage garden has been created from scratch over the last few years and I am delighted to be opening it for the National Garden Scheme. I have designed a garden divided into different rooms to include herbaceous borders, box parterre, kitchen garden, grasses and wild flower areas. It is a romantic and pretty cottage garden with lots of colour and structure to look good for most of the year, whilst allowing for dogs, chickens and sporting teenagers!
03/ Plant Expert
Studying horticulture at The English Gardening School, I gained Diplomas in Essential Garden Design, Good Gardening and Advanced Good Gardening. I graduated with distinction and as a prize winner on each of the three diplomas. Based in London’s oldest botanical garden, the Chelsea Physic Garden, study was a mix of lectures, masterclasses and hands on practical gardening, with lectures given by the country’s most prominent gardeners, including Nick Bailey, Troy Scott -Smith, Rosie Hardy and Ben Pope. Gardening experience was gained in the glorious gardens at Arundel Castle under the watchful eye of Martin Duncan and in Rosemary Alexander’s beautiful and well documented garden at Sandhill Farm in Hampshire.
04/ Plant Lover
A key element of studying at The English Gardening School included numerous visits to renowned public and private gardens, which gave me an invaluable insight into the creative world of leading head gardeners. I also gained a deep appreciation of how successful and memorable gardens are created and maintained.
I was delighted to work at RHS Chelsea and RHS Hampton Court in 2021 as a plant expert on the Hartley Botanic Greenhouse stand.
