MANOJ MALDE

The garden designer, show judge, RHS ambassador and television presenter on changing careers, making a splash with colour, and promoting inclusivity and diversity within the gardening community

- CLAIRE MASSET

Manoj Malde is living proof that you should always follow your dreams. Having worked in the fashion industry for almost 20 years, he decided to pursue his passion for plants, swapping haute couture for horticulture. Today he runs a successful design practice, works as a TV presenter and an RHS judge and, since 2022, has been the RHS's ambassador for inclusivity. Not bad for a mid-life change of career.

Born in Kenya, Manoj grew up surrounded by plants. "Although we didn't have a garden, we had this enormous balcony filled with roses, jasmine and colocasias," he recalls.

He and his family moved to the UK when he was four. "My brother started a veg patch in our new garden and I helped him. Then I became fascinated by houseplants and ornamentals.” Seeds were sown at a very early age.

"I loved my job as creative director in fashion," he continues, "but as time went on, I could see where the industry was heading. Quality was going down; everything became about margin." Manoj gave up his career and enrolled at The English Gardening School in London in 2010. Less than a decade later, in 2017, he won a Silver-gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for his garden, Beneath a Mexican Sky. Mediterranean plants were set against a backdrop of pink and orange adobe walls, beside an azure-blue pool. It was stylish and radiant, and different from the usual Chelsea offering. People loved it.