Louis trained at Probus Gardens, Cornwall, under the direction of Peter Blake, gaining an excellent knowledge of horticulture. Louis is a keen railway enthusiast and in 2011 he started SWRAGG – the South West Railway Adopters Gardening Group. He encourages others to garden with a willingness to share his knowledge and recognises the input of his fellow volunteers. The gardens he has created at stations such as Ayr, Dumfries, Irvine, Stranraer and Troon all reflect a trend towards biodiversity, plus pockets of ‘incredible edibles.’
He inspires his fellow volunteers and visitors to his stations to think creatively and see that any dead space can be brought back to a living one. What Louis has achieved in making numerous railway stations colourful is immense. He travels on buses and trains tending to station gardens and planters. Such travel is of course more eco-friendly and even taking a water bowser on the bus is not a deterrent for Louis.
A visit to any of Louis’ stations and time spent in his company can only enrich any horticulturist and increases one’s knowledge of how to run a highly successful community gardening programme.
