Michael Brown

I had my own patch of garden where my mother allowed me to grow anything I liked. This included what she called my 'weeds', but I called wild flowers. It wasnt until quite late in my life that I became a professional gardener. I worked for the local council Parks Department where I began studying for the City and Guilds certificaes in Horticulture, and later achieved my Licentiate in Amenity Horticulure. I have been involved in a number of large garden projects.

In 1980 I began researching the history of medieval gardens and in 1995, designed the recreated medieval gardens of the Prebendal Manor. This project developed further than it was initially planned to do and lead to a study of the historical uses of plants including buildings, bows and arrows, dyes, medicines, clothing and cookery.
In the mean time I was the Head Gardener at The Menagerie as it was being developed by the late Gervase Jackson-Stops and Ian Kirby.I later went self -employed as a mobile Head Gardener and designer, until I became a full-time college lecturer in horticulture and completed an MA in Garden History.

I have been consulted on many other historic garden projects