Having run both the UK’s leading camellia nursery and Britain’s first commercial blueberry farm, this indefatigable enquirer is still travelling the world, seeking to learn yet more.
Her eyes sparkling, whooping with laughter, Jennifer Trehane recalls her last visit, in 2015, to Oshima Island, known as Camellia Island to its neighbours in Japan. Three million Camellia japonica grow wild on the mountainside, their seeds gathered each year and pressed to make fine oils. The children at the local high school are trained in camellia culture and can identify every tree in the school’s extensive collection. There are camellia dances, camellia chopstick holders; dishes are garnished with radishes carved into camellia blooms. Invited in her capacity as a director of the International Camellia Society, Jennifer was surprised to land to the sound of chanting: Jen-ni-fer… Jen-ni-fer… “I was treated like a pop star,” giggles Jennifer, still tickled pink by the flagwaving crowds. On Camellia Island, the editor of the International Camellia Journal, author of the standard work on the genus and joint founder of the International Camellia Society Gardens of Excellence scheme is a far more important visitor than any president or pope.
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Field of Dreams - The naturalistic gem Hans Gieszen has created in former meadowlands near Utrecht in the Netherlands is the culmination of a lifelong passion
Ever since his mother gave him seeds as a small boy, gardening has been a passion for Hans Gieszen. He is completely self-taught, relying on garden visits and books for instruction, with one book in particular, Dream Plants for the Natural Garden by Henk Gerritsen and Piet Oudolf, influencing his style. “It was fascinating,” says Hans, remembering his first encounter with the book. “All those photos – pictures with mists and these tall and low plants and grasses. I realised I couldn’t do it in my small garden, but I kept dreaming and reading about it.”
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn
