Meet the experts and book your tickets!
The National Garden Scheme is extending the gardening year with a wonderful event at the Royal Geographical Society on Tuesday 2 December.
‘Ask the Experts’ promises to be a fun, fundraising evening, it’s the perfect opportunity to quiz some of the country’s leading gardening experts, and to enjoy their lively debate which will be led and chaired by National Garden Scheme ambassador Fiona Bruce in her inimitable style.
With such a stellar line-up here’s a little more about our illustrious panel.
Fiona Bruce
Fiona Bruce is a ground-breaking journalist and presenter whose career has been marked by breaking through many broadcasting glass ceilings. She was the first woman to present the BBC Ten O’Clock News and the first to host a general election results programme.
As well as writing and presenting numerous documentaries, Fiona is a seasoned interviewer with Prince Phillip, Bill Gates and Lord Alan Sugar among the decision makers she has questioned.
Fiona has also presented a raft of BBC programmes including Antiques Roadshow, Crimewatch and current affairs strand Real Stories.
Fiona has been a National Garden Scheme ambassador since January 2025.
Arit Anderson
Arit spent 25 years working in the dynamic industries of retail fashion and creative events. She balanced this fast-paced career with interests in well-being, working as a therapist and teaching holistic therapies.
It was the joy of having her own garden that enabled Arit to diversify her creative experiences. She found that the visual nature of fashion and the healing properties of her therapies could beautifully meld in the garden.
Playing with a new palette of colour and materials in her garden, drove her to explore the unique relationships between her love of plants, people and place. After just one season, Arit knew she wanted horticulture to become her work as well as her pleasure.
She studied gardening at Capel Manor College and whilst there had success at RHS Chelsea 2013 winning the Fresh Talent category for a student design collaboration with two other students. After attaining a diploma in garden design, she won a Gold Medal for her own design at RHS Hampton Court in 2016 in the conceptual category.
In her designs for both private and commercial clients her ethos includes simplicity and environmental sensitivity – affecting her choice of products and plants at source.
Working as presenter for Gardeners’ World and on major flower shows including RHS Chelsea and writing for national publications has enabled Arit to publicise issues about the future of gardening in an ever-changing climate, and promote solutions to the wider public.
Her book The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits co-authored with Henrik Sjoman was published in 2023
Arit has been a Trustee of the National Garden Scheme since March 2021.
Danny Clarke
Danny Clarke, also known as ‘The Black Gardener’ is a professional garden designer and landscaper. A self-confessed ‘friend of the earth’, Danny is not only an experienced horticulturist but also an established TV presenter and expert.
Danny shot to fame as BBC’s The Instant Gardener. He currently co-hosts the Channel 5 series Filthy Garden SOS – transforming Britain’s most disastrous gardens. He can also be seen on ITV’s Love Your Garden, alongside Alan Titchmarsh.
Danny is passionate about making a difference to climate change and community integration. He is known for his charismatic and quirky approach to garden design which is fun and desirable to people of all ages. ‘Having access to a garden is a right and not a privilege’ and his biggest wish is that we make the most of our green spaces for the health of the planet, our communities and our souls.
Following his passion, Danny also co-directs CIC Grow2Know, who are committed to inspire, heal and educate through horticulture. Embarking on a journey to make gardening more inclusive and nature accessible to all.
Danny has been a National Garden Scheme ambassador since 2022.
Rachel de Thame
Inheriting her love of plants primarily from her parents, Rachel has been a regular presenter on Gardeners’ World for more than 20 years. She is a member of the team at the major flower shows, including Chelsea, and on other series including Great British Garden Revival and Countrywise. Rachel also fronted Small Town Gardens and Gardening with the Experts for which she wrote accompanying books, in addition to Rachel de Thame’s Top 100 Star plants.
As a journalist Rachel writes a regular gardening column for The Sunday Times and The Garden Magazine. Contributions to other publications have included Gardeners’ World Magazine, New Eden Magazine and the Daily Telegraph. Rachel’s design projects include a show garden for Chelsea Flower Show and the floral decorations for the Royal Barge, during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
De Thame has a lupin variety named after her. In addition to Dahlia ‘Rachel de Thame’, Auricula ‘Rachel de Thame and Rose ‘Rachel’ were also named in her honour by Pococks Roses.
In 2024 de Thame teamed up with her daughter Lauren, an illustrator, for her new book A Flower Garden For Pollinators
She has been a National Garden Scheme ambassador since 2020.
Martha Swales
Martha Swales is an urban gardener from London who has been growing her own produce for over twelve years. A TV producer and director specialising in food, she regularly shares her cooking and cultivating tips on social media and has amassed a following of millions of people around the world. In March this year, Martha published her first book, Give it a Grow, just in time for spring.
Her aim is to make gardening fun and accessible, freeing people from the fear of failure. She lives in London with her housemate and their rescue cat, Mo.
Joe Swift
Joe has been gardening since he left school and is a fully trained garden designer. He has been one of the main presenters on BBC Two’s flagship gardening show Gardeners’ World since 1998 and also regularly appears in the BBC’s coverage of RHS Chelsea, Hampton Court, Gardeners’ World Live and Tatton Park Flower shows.
Over the years, Joe has fronted Open Gardens, Small Town Gardens, Garden Makers and Garden Invaders. He has also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and other programmes as a guest. Joe has designed many gardens for TV, including one for Comic Relief, several for Gardeners World and all of the Alan Titchmarsh’s ‘How to be a Gardener 2’ series. He is also a co-founder of Modular Garden – a garden design company.
Joe’s writing includes a regular column in The Times Weekend section, Gardeners’ World Magazine and various other magazines. He has written 3 books – ‘The Plant Room’, ‘Joe’s Urban Garden Handbook’, and ‘Joe’s Allotment’ published in April 2009.
He was President of the National Garden Scheme 2009 – 2015 and remains an ambassador for the charity.
For event details and tickets click the button here
