This Week’s Guest Blogger is Anthony Carroll MCIHort CMTGG, Consultant Horticulturist at Hortic Ant

I am delighted to introduce myself to you, I am Anthony Carroll and I am Head of Horticulture at Alisco Projects and a freelance consultant horticulturist at #HorticAnt.

From a young age, I was interested in gardening and wanted to pursue this as a career.  During the school holidays I would always carry out some activity in the garden, especially
in the mornings while listening to the birds sing.

Once I had left school, I was delighted to be accepted at Brackenhurst College in Nottinghamshire to study Horticulture.

After completing my studies in the year 2000 I started my career as an Assistant Gardener and soon progressed to become Head Gardener. However, my ambition was to own a
horticultural company, so I left my position as Head Gardener in 2005 and proceeded to run my own business.

In 2017 I was delighted to be asked to become a judge and assessor for The Royal Horticultural Society as part of their Green Plan It course.

I was delighted to be awarded full membership of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, The Professional Gardeners Guild and I am also a Consultant Member to The Gardeners Guild.

Horticultural science and therapeutic horticulture is a huge part of my life. I am passionate in promoting and improving the world of horticulture by influencing people of all ages and abilities, to celebrate this wonderful science.

I am now in my twentieth year within the industry and have been privileged to work in many different types of horticultural settings, such as ‘high end’ private gardens, Schools and HM Prison Service. I have also worked with people suffering from mental health issues. My aim is to promote horticulture so that everyone will be able to reap the benefits of this science.

With the wealth of experience I now have, I am inspiring children to be interested in horticulture. I believe this is an incredibly rewarding subject, as it encourages physical motivation, scientific and mathematical challenges and creativity, while being also
extremely beneficial for mental wellbeing.

During my years in horticulture, I have accumulated many ‘favourite’ herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs. However to isolate one particular favourite of mine, I would have to choose Amelanchier lamarckii or June Berry Tree. It features snow white flowers and bronzed leaves, edible berries and a fantastic autumn leaf colour.

Nowadays we are encouraged to be aware of the state of the planet, so this year for birthday or anniversaries why not ask for a tree, especially an Amelanchier lamarckii, which is good for a medium size gardens. It can also grow in a container for a few years.  This would be a lovely gift for you but also for the climate as well. Remember, trees are the ‘lungs of the earth’.

Having experienced every season for many years in the garden, my favourite season is winter as you can see the true forms of the individual shrubs. A winter garden can be so magical on a lovely crisp frosty morning.