Howard Drury with cymbidium at Ashwood Nurseries on a dark winter's afternoon

I was born in Lincolnshire and by the age of six was selling lettuces to the local shops and after an introduction to horticulture at Jackson’s of Allington. I then went on to Edinburgh Botanics as a student.

After completing a three-year course with honours I joined Birmingham Council in 1976 as a training officer based at Kings Heath Park. In 1984 I was given my first chance at presenting a gardening programme that lasted for more 10 years and 600 episodes under the title of Central TV’s “Gardening Time”.

Today I travel with holiday groups, lecture and give advice in addition to writing for three newspapers and advising at Ashwood Nurseries where I also run several gardening clubs.  I also run a small computing business building and repairing computers.

My only wishes are to travel to more good gardens both within the UK and worldwide (hopefully New Zealand again in November 2013 and to help in some way present a proper practical weekly gardening programme again.