Embracing natural history

摘要

There are some people you meet who are just perfectly suited for the job they do. In the case of Rowan Blaik, newly appointed head gardener at Charles Darwin's home, Down House, this is certainly true. Some might joke about his obsession with garden history but it's inspiring to meet someone who knows so much about where he works and is so keen to pass it on, especially as he's only been in the post for a few months. Blaik grew up in north London, where he developed a passion for gardening when pottering around his back garden and poring over books by Beth Chatto with his mother. His love of garden history was cemented when he was taken on as a student for English Heritage's gardens and landscape team, where he spent a year doing research for the team's head, John Watkins, and travelling round gardens in the UK with former gardens adviser Russell Williams.