Meet Colin

After a career in firefighting, Colin has returned to his first love, and now works with us in the nursery. As a keen hobby horticulturalist Colin has great plant knowledge. Find out more about this dahlia-loving gardener.,.

What attracted you to a career in horticulture?

My Dad was a dahlia exhibitor so I grew up around flowers and being outside in the garden I started growing and exhibiting Gladiolus at 14 then got an apprenticeship in horticulture. I went on to become a fireman but gardening has always been my true calling.

What is your ideal garden?

My ideal garden is full of colour, colour just brings the garden to life. I used to enter Fife councils garden competition in the flower formal category mostly showing annuals and really enjoyed it. But now I’m getting a wee bit older so I’m trying to make the garden slightly lower maintenance!

What do you plant in your outdoor space?

I’ve got a real mixture of all sorts of flowers and shrubs – always lots of colour! But I don’t tend to grow any veg no or limited vegetables. I still grow dahlias and now do some judging in local flower competitions which I really enjoy.

What’s the one thing we should all be doing to be more sustainable in our gardens/outdoor spaces?

It’s really about keeping it simple – make your own compost, recycle or re-use pots. If you need to buy plastic make sure it’s the durable sort that will last. If all of us do our bit, we can make a real difference.