Meet the horticultural expert from Walsall who helps people to create their dream gardens

He runs his own design company, transforming residential gardens as well as outdoor spaces for colleges, outdoor classrooms, community gardens and sensory areas.

Darren, whose creations have won him Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) medals, has also spent many years in education, sharing his love for horticulture with learners.

He caught the gardening bug when he was just a child and it developed into a lifelong passion.

“I was actively encouraged at home to grow my own fruit and vegetables. I also had an interest in plants and nature, it always fascinated me how nature worked,” says Darren, who lives in Bloxwich.

Horticulture was never discussed as a career option when he was leaving school so, after opting not to go to university, he ended up in warehouse jobs.

Darren, who has asthma, was later advised that changing his line of work could benefit his health after he was forced to take time off work due to his symptoms worsening.

“The doctor told me to find an occupation that was outside,” he explains. “When I was off work, I used to help a park keeper at Leamore Park open up for the day. He told me the park had some temporary jobs for the spring and summer. That’s where my career started.”

Darren went on train in horticulture at Rodbaston College in Penkridge and was initially employed as head gardener for a large private garden in Wolverhampton. Over the following 10 years, he also operated a garden maintenance, design and build practice, working chiefly with his younger brother.

After getting a job as a technician at Wolverhampton College’s horticultural centre, The Cedars, he started lecturing on a range of amenity horticultural and garden design subjects, including Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) qualifications.

Darren was one of the first people in the country to be awarded The City and Guilds medal of excellence for his teaching and training methods and now shares his knowledge at The Winterbourne Centre for Horticulture in Birmingham.

His design consultancy – Darren Rudge – Landscape & Garden Design – was launched in the early 1990s and he offers a number of different services. His complete garden design service begins with an initial consultation to discuss the client’s wants, needs and a budget.

A full site analysis and survey is carried out and Darren gathers more information for the design brief from the client such as when and how they like to use their garden, the types of plants they like or dislike and the colours they want incorporated.

He also considers the style of the client’s home and the view from the windows.

Concept plans are then drawn up with two or three ideas presented to the client. “I still hand draw, I don’t use CAD (Computer Aided Design). I can use it but it’s not personal enough for me,” says Darren. Once a concept has been agreed, Darren will then create a master plan so they can picture what their garden is going to look like with the full costs.

“During the process of creating the final plan, I might take the client to a local garden centre or a local garden to look at plants and materials or to a reclamation yard to look at possible items for sculptures,” says Darren.

He then works with Edwards Landscapes to bring the design to life. “I tend to do the soft landscaping, planting and turfing and Edwards Landscapes will do the hard landscaping like the paving,” explains Darren.

He says it’s a “fantastic” feeling when a garden is complete and his clients are delighted with their new outdoor space.

Among his favourite gardens to visit are The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall and RHS Garden Wisley. “I like things that are quite whimsical, that take you to other areas of the world or a world that’s not even a real world. That’s what gardens are about. They are about dreaming and taking you away from your everyday life. That’s what people want from their garden space – they want to relax and not think. It’s a bit of escape,” says Darren.

When he’s not helping people to create their own horticultural havens or teaching, he can be found giving talks to gardening societies on a wide range of subjects from sustainability to creating a show garden.

Darren has also founded a social enterprise – Rudge Wood Horticulture CIC – with fellow lecturer Helen Wood which is dedicated to helping people benefit from horticulture through learning and outdoor spaces.

Darren, who is also known as ‘the laughing gardener’, has shared his advice with listeners of radio stations including BBC WM, and now co-hosts The Happy Garden podcast with Mollie Green.

See www.darrenrudge.co.uk