About Jodi Dickinson MHort(RHS) - owner of juniper gardens
How I got into gardening
I am Jodi Dickinson and this is my story: I was born in Cornwall by the sea, and raised by parents who had just moved down from Manchester. It was almost inevitable I would develop a deep appreciation for the natural environment, with the Cornish landscape being so beautiful. Little did I realize it would turn in to what I now understand to be a lifelong passion for plants.
Cornwall’s temperate and maritime climate allows for a great variety of plants to be grown, so I returned to Cornwall (after university and travelling) and started my own business as a self-employed gardener (with a little help from Prince Charles' trust to help small business').
Education and inspirations
When I started out gardening I completed a City & Guilds (level 2) in gardening at Truro College where I learnt the fundamentals of gardening including the importance of the soil. I have since gone on to be awarded my Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) level 3 advanced Diploma in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture from Rosewarne College, Camborne. Here I learnt about things such as maintaining box (Buxus sempervirens) and harvesting, sowing and growing sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) It was a nice little surprise to win this award along the way too for top student.
I am now an RHS Master of Horticulture, awarded with distinction. It was predominantly an online course, although once a year all the students from around the country and world congregate at the RHS’s flagship garden Wisley for a long weekend of lectures, activities and gaining some inside knowledge in to how Wisley itself functions. I learnt a great deal about the horticultural industry and how and why gardening can be of benefit to people and the world.
For my dissertation I looked at how gardens can adapt to climate change. Along the way I have also developed a strong interest in wildlife gardening, as well as contemporary garden design. I am particularly inspired by the works of Sarah Price, James Hitchmough and Piet Oudolf. My design work is also informed by my role as head gardener at the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden where light, subtle contrasts in texture and layering in the planting are key attributes. While my role looking after the Tate St Ives roof garden has deepened my understanding of native and coastal planting. I strongly believe that through horticulture, garden design and as custodians of the land we should be responding to and mitigating the current crisis’ the world is facing ( biodiversity loss and climate change), in a positive and proactive way.
I thoroughly enjoy finding the best and most enjoyable gardening tools from around the world. I find Japanese hand tools, such as secateurs, to be on a different level than tools made in other countries. The attention to detail is unsurpassed, resulting in very pleasurable and aesthetically pleasing tools. I would highly recommend anyone interested to look at the online store Niwaki. The tools I always have to hand in my tool belt are all Japanese, including my hori hori, my secateurs and my pruning saw. I of course also have a full array of petrol and battery powered professional tools for gardening to the highest efficiency and specifications.
Juniper Gardens is PA/1 and PA/6 qualified to safely and legally apply herbicides and pesticides, and a registered green waste carrier. I have links to various nurseries so that we are able to supply beautiful plants at great prices. I am also a member of the following trade bodies