Two Green Shoots. One by name, one by nature.
Adam. Master Gardener & passionate plants-man.
A Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) trained gardener with an infectious enthusiasm for plants, nature and green spaces. Born and raised in Cornwall, from an early age I found myself more interested in the plants along the edge of football pitch than the ball I was meant to be running after.
After training to become a gardener with the RHS at the age of 23, I went on a volunteer at one of Cornwall’s leading gardens, Trewithen Estate, internationally acclaimed for its camellia collections. Here I was lucky enough to learn from and be inspired by the perennially positive Head Gardener, Gary Long. What's followed has been a wonderful whirlwind gardening professionally, from running my own gardening business managing a range of public and private gardens and estates across Cornwall, to then taking the BIG step of crossing the Tamar into unchartered territory! I spent 2 years with the National Trust, managing the romantic gardens at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds and then a team of 7 staff as Head of Surrey Landscapes which included a Capability Brown Landscape garden before moving to Hertfordshire to care for 28 acres of magical gardens at Knebworth House as Head Gardener.
I'm thrilled to now be gardening in such a incredible part of Ireland. Two Green Shoots launched in Sept 2017 with my partner Kloe, is the culmination of a decade soaking up information, ideas and experience and our chance to share it with you. Look forward to meeting you in the Garden of Re-Imagination, on a Taste Tour, Feast Night or on an Escape! I'm also delighted to have joined the team at Bantry House & Garden as Head Gardener. Look out for me in the gardens and come say hello!
Kloë. Designer, Gardener, Forager & Upcycler.
After growing up in the Wilds of West Cork I jumped over the pond for a decade, to study and work on numerous UK-based projects. This adventure started in a little town called Bangor, sandwiched between the peaks of Snowdonia towering beyond on one side and an little pier cafe serving the worlds best scones at the other. As well as the happy satisfaction of munching through many a cream tea, it was here I discovered the wonders of the natural world while doing a BSc in Zoology with Conservation. By the end of my three years I'd come to the conclusion that you can know almost everything about the lifecycle of a specific species but if us humans come along and decimate its habitat then it's potentially a goner!
This got me interested in sustainability and eventually I found myself in Exeter completing an MPhil in Sustainable Development. My time in Devon also spelled the beginning of a love of connecting with local people and and places with the launch of my first community project 'Exeter Green Walks' and volunteering at Exeter Community Garden. When a PhD came up in Cornwall at the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health I jumped at the chance to delve into the research surrounding the health and wellbeing benefits of green spaces. My enthusiasm for academic reading and writing was soon eclipsed by my love of hands-on community work. This led to launching another award-winning 'Green Walks' initiative in Truro, establishing the community gardening 'Plant Your Park' project & running events with Transition Truro.
It was this 'Plant Your Park' which marked the beginning of a new horticultural adventure for me. I needed an extra pair of hands for a gardening event and spotted an 'ansome' looking gardening columnist in the local paper. He turned out to be really rather good at what he does and fairly bearable to be around too. After an incredible few years designing, developing and delivering a huge range of projects as an officer for community charity, Groundwork I'm absolutely thrilled to be back home in gorgeous West Cork as one of the Two Green Shoots putting my training, experience and hands-on skills into action!