I always loved nature, especially our pond and its inhabitants. I got the Dr Hessayon book 'Rock and Water Garden Expert' so I could grow plants to encourage the wildlife. The front half was the rock garden bit which I always skipped, then one day the pics just got me. At that time my Uncle built a rockery and from then I kind of got obsessed with growing, collecting and learning everything about alpine plants.  

I built my first rockery when I should have been revising for my A-levels, then got a Merlin scholarship to go and see them in the wild when I was 20, a tour of the French Alps with the AGS led by Michael Upward. At the time I was working at a specialist alpine nursery in charge of alpine propagation, maintenance and sales. 

Since that first trip, seeing them in the wild, the scenery, air, culture...the food, wine, genepi (!), fondues, raclettes, the tartiflette....(I could go on!) I was hooked, and spent any spare time I could heading for the hills.

I've seen some amazing things, I hope I can share them with you, but really you need to see them for yourself...let's go!