the Sarah Raven experts
You know Sarah loves our entire range, but here are a few special selections from the experts closest to Sarah and her garden at Perch Hill...
Josie Lewis
Perch Hill Head Gardener
ABOUT JOSIE:
Josie has been the Head Gardener at Sarah's garden at Perch Hill for over 10 years. From her love and enthusiasm for roses, to her unbeatable expertise in gardening (especially dahlia breeding), we’d be at a loss without Josie. She’s also a frequent and invaluable co-host on our podcast Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange
ABOUT HER GARDEN:
I won’t even mention my garden at home — it’s the last thing I want to do after gardening all day! My garden is actually tiny but full of beautiful abelia
JOSIE'S GARDENING GOAL:
I save my passion for gardening for the trial beds at Perch Hill. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing virtually all our range flourish and thrive in Sarah’s garden. Looking for new and upcoming stars is always at the top of my to-do list
Josie's selection
Explore Josie's top picks for the spring and summer season
Gary Newell
Senior Horticultural Buyer
ABOUT GARY:
Gary is our Senior Horticultural Buyer, with 20 years' experience in the industry. He has a degree in garden design and has worked closely with Hillier Nurseries on over 10 gold winning show gardens
ABOUT HIS GARDEN:
I’m getting to grips with a very much underdeveloped plot that is around a third of an acre in a semi-rural hilltop market town on the Cotswold borders
GARY'S GARDENING GOALS:
My focus is on creating a landscape of self-sufficient naturalistic planting of which dahlias will play an important role in bringing colour right up to the end of the growing season
Gary's selection
Browse Gary's favourites for creating a naturalistic garden packed with long-lasting flowers
Tom Stimpson
Head of Horticulture
ABOUT TOM:
Tom is the Head of Horticulture here at Sarah Raven. He oversees everything from the beauty and compatibility of the range, to managing the growing at our nursery in Lincolnshire to ensure your plants are of the very best quality. We’re lucky to have him
ABOUT HIS GARDEN:
My garden is a small and sunny town garden in Ely, Cambridgeshire (just 10m x 7m) and is full of pots and containers of all sizes. It's all about lots of colour and plants chosen to attract pollinators
TOM'S GARDENING GOALS:
For me, it’s always about achieving lots of colour — I want maximum impact even in my minimal space. And choosing plants that pollinators will love as much as I do
Tom's selection
Learn more about Tom's favourite varieties and collections for his town garden
Jemima Bowker
Campaign & Events Lead
ABOUT JEMIMA:
Jemima first worked with us at Perch Hill and has since joined the marketing team. She has a distinct passion for dahlias and a focus on demystifying gardening for beginners. Jemima is also a recurring guest on our podcast
ABOUT HER GARDEN:
I live in a London flat with two balconies. One is quite tiny, the other crammed with pots and no space to sit! I have a range of containers spanning from small-medium zinc and terracotta pots to some big tub planters and a few zinc dolly planters. These bigger ones are where I’ll be planting my dahlias this year, in the sunniest corner. If I’m short on space inside for potting on my tubers, I’ll go in search for ready planted dahlias
JEMIMA'S GARDENING GOALS:
This year, I’m trying to make the most of my limited space by introducing a few big, showstopper containers. I want them bursting with dahlias come summer and on into autumn
Jemima's selection
Discover Jemima's favourites for filling her balcony with vibrant colour
