A keen gardener all my life, in 2000 I attended a year-long City and Guilds design course at Hadlow College of Horticulture. While there I worked as a gardening assistant at a nine-acre plot, learning gardening techniques such as sowing, pruning and planting. After 18 months' on-the-job training I started a garden maintenance business, which led to requests for planting schemes, and within a year I created complete garden designs. In 2003 I was accepted by the Royal Horticultural Society to exhibit in the city gardens category at the Chelsea Flower Show and was awarded a bronze medal.

My own garden, built from scratch in 1997, was open for two years under the National Gardens Scheme. In 2004 I received a letter from the county organiser, which stated: 'It was wonderful to have an exquisite, small self-designed town garden - have you thought of entering The Times back garden competition?'

In 2003, a family in St John's Wood, NW8, asked me to design a back garden and arrange containers and planting for their roof terrace. Two years later they moved to Hampstead, NW3, and again invited me to design their front and back gardens.

In 2004 I was hired by Premier Homes of Norfolk to design two show gardens for a new residential development in Norwich.

I continue to work for individual clients, designing and planting anything from a small border to a one-acre plot. The experience I have gained allows me to pay great attention to detail. This is reflected in every aspect of my work, from the initial design template to the choice of materials for hard landscaping and the arrangement of plants to form beautiful vistas throughout the year.

I enjoy the personal involvement in every project. Unlike large design practices, I work directly with the clients, contractors and suppliers, draw the designs, monitor the work and see the project through to completion.

I have built up contacts within the landscaping industry for supplying natural stone, large terracotta containers, sculptures (and commissions), bespoke garden furniture and water fountains with pools.

Nurseries I visit provide trees and shrubs (including large Italian specimens of semi-mature stock) clematis, box topiary and rare plants. For several gardens I have sourced and organised the supply, delivery and planting of semi-mature trees up to 30ft high.