Colin cut his horticultural teeth at Wisley as a boy before moving to Scotland in the 1980s and studying for the Diploma in Horticulture at the RBGE. After successfully completing his studies he worked in the glasshouses, before joining Edinburgh Zoo. Initially Colin joined as horticultural trainer, before becoming Curator of Zoo Horticulture. During the next 13 years Colin oversaw all aspects of the zoo landscape management and was key in helping zoo horticulture become recognized as a unique discipline. He was a key founding member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Plant Group, sharing knowledge about the use of plants within zoos, a group that is still going strong 25 years later. Ready for the next challenge, in 2003 Colin moved to become Nursery Manager at Binny Plants. It was a time of expansion and transformation for an important Scottish nursery. After Binny Plants, Colin’s career took him to the National Trust for Scotland, initially as a Gardens Advisor and coordinator for the School of Heritage Gardening in Threave, then from 2016, as a regional Gardens and Designed Landscapes Manager, overseeing more than 13 gardens in the east coast of Scotland.
A humble man with a level of botanical knowledge that few can match, applied in everything he does with a fastidious attention to detail. His breadth of horticultural knowledge and application is nothing short of inspirational. He can apply himself in all facets of horticulture. He is a life-long student dedicated to learning, yet always the first to admit when he doesn’t know something. Most recently he has actively promoted and supported the need to identify plants and apples within the National Trust for Scotland’s many gardens. Colin now has a truly impressive depth of knowledge about apples.
