295: Noel Kingsbury

Peter Donegan chats with Noel Kingsbury, author of Garden Flora, published by Timber Press. Noel Kingsbury has been described as “the voice of authority with renegade undertones”. A gardener since childhood, he has run a nursery, designed gardens and public spaces and done doctoral research at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Landscape on competition amongst ornamental perennials. He is best known for his promotion of naturalistic planting design, but is passionate about any kind of innovation in the garden or the wider landscape. He is particularly interested in improving teaching in horticulture. Noel has also written more than 20 books on garden matters, including four with leading designer Piet Oudolf, as well as the only history of plant breeding. He lives and gardens in the Welsh Borders near Hay-on-Wye. Together we chat landscaping trends, what Noel actually does outside of writing 24 books, sitting still or not and just why write a book that (as I desscribe it) is a reference book but not with a very beautiful difference. A note of very special thanks to Besse and Rebecca and the team at Timber Press US and UK. Thoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow