An Experienced Cornwall Gardener

The Old Watermill

In 2012 I started working at The Old Watermill. The then owner, an artist, wanted me to create planting schemes for the entire garden, following an Alice in Wonderland theme. A large garden, with its own challenges, this was quite an endeavour. On completion, it was opened to the National Garden Scheme. From 2018 Zoe bought the property and I have been caring for it ever since, under her guidance.

“Vicky has been looking after my garden for years. Her care, good humour and flair for what she does is continually on show. Not only does she keep my garden looking lovely she also helped to create it. Her proactive suggestions and her hard work make the garden far better than I ever could on my own. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”
Zoe Mayson, The Old Watermill.

A holiday home by the sea

Nestled on the coast, Greenaway Reach is a stunning holiday home. I have worked here for three years, maintaining the beds and borders, applying pesticides where needed and pressure washing. I work alongside other contractors. The property and grounds have a luxurious feel and need to look cared for at all times.

“Vicky is such a find! She looks after our holiday house garden really well, she knows about plants and puts her knowledge to great use. She has good inter-personal skills, which are vital when interacting with sometimes tricky tenants. We find her trustworthy, our garden is really well maintained and we think Vicky and her little dog are lovely. I wholeheartedly recommend her.”
Liz and Richard Heis, Trebetherick.

Maintaining a beautiful place

I have been working at Alex and Jonathan’s (Calenick) for about 10 years. In that time the garden has evolved. I have loved working alongside Alex, creating plans and experimenting with ideas. It’s been quite the collaboration. This year has seen the addition of a wildflower meadow. Exciting.

“I am so glad I found Vicky. She has looked after our garden for more than 10 years and she has become a very important part of its continuous evolution and improvement. Vicky is very dedicated and patient and understands us and our garden. She not only attends to the upkeep, but also embraces the many ideas and projects we have for the garden. She has been a perfect gardening partner. Without her the garden would not be boasting as many beautiful and diverse plants and of course subsequently wildlife.”
Alex and Jonathan Collins, Trelights

From concrete to a wildlife haven

I met Janie and Tony 11 years ago, at their new home in Padstow. They were looking for some help to transform their front and back gardens. The front, although already tiered, was stark and barren. Once I started to dig I could understand why; concrete and builders’ rubble. Determined to create improvement, I excavated and added grasses, Perovskia, Agapanthus, geranium, achillea and geums. 11 years on and this wildlife oasis is still looking beautiful.

“When we bought the house the garden was a sad and neglected space and the front was concrete. Vicky transformed both the front and back gardens. We gave her a free hand to plant what she thought would be suitable for these two spaces and she has looked after them now for the last ten years. She has been an inspiration to us and a joy to work with.”
Janey and Tony, Padstow.