Owen Sparey

Gardening has been Owen’s focus since the tender age of 6. He won gold at the Royal Bath and West Gardening Show for a formal vegetable garden design. All of his qualifications and amazing on the job-training (for such great gardeners as Derry Watkins of Special Plants) led him to Wisley and after becoming a RHS graduate, he was immediately employed by the RHS to run the very popular tropical houses for the Glass department.

He was also responsible for creating a variety of high profile plant displays for the RHS at Westminster, Wisley, Chelsea Flower Show and in Dijon France for the World Orchid Conference. He also travelled to the USA to work with the New York Botanic Gardens.

Tours of the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America have developed his wide base of plant knowledge, design technique and garden expertise. Owen was also featured in the BBC television ‘Gardener’s World’ Bicenteniary Glasshouse series in 2006 and in the dvd ‘How to Grow House Plants and Exotics’, presented by Tom Petherick.

He became a Head Gardener in West Sussex in 2006 and was responsible for developing the site into a successful and productive garden during his stay. Alongside his wife, Stephanie, he is a tutor at West Dean College, teaching garden courses in propagation, pruning and garden maintenance.