your stories | Hazel Gardiner
Hazel Gardiner is a botanical artist, broadcaster, writer, gardener, and owner of her eponymous London design studio – founded in 2016.
Her RHS Gold-winning work is energetically textural, often blending fresh, dried, edible, and plant materials to reflect the seasons and convey emotion. This lyrical and unconventional approach has led to collaborations with some of the world’s most celebrated lifestyle, fashion, and beauty brands.
Where do you garden?
You’ll find me in Stoke Newington, Hackney. I’m incredibly lucky to have a long garden – it’s that’s north-facing with clay soil. We’re flanked by houses but also mature trees. The embracing space allows me to play with heights and textures. Clematis and rambling roses now mask our boundary fences. I’ve continually redesigned the garden since moving here in 2014, creating zones as our needs have evolved. There’s a common thread of evergreens alongside perennials and tall grasses. It’s my sanctuary, bridging wild beauty with structured design, much like in my floral work.
How much time do you spend in the garden each week?
Gardening is my creative reset. I’d love to say I’m outside every day, but the reality is that work demands mean I garden sporadically, when time allows. This could be a quick 30 minutes of pruning at dusk or a leisurely four hours on a Sunday. However fleeting the opportunity, I always feel revived, even by the smallest accomplishment—and that, I think, is what truly matters.
Can you pinpoint when you first got ‘into’ gardening?
In 2007, I was diagnosed with a rare cancer. The treatment and resulting weakened immunity meant that my usual modes of relaxation, from seeing friends to reading, became challenging. In a twist of serendipity, I’d moved into my first flat with a small garden only months earlier. Although modest, working the soil while I recovered became the catalyst for a life-changing reconnection with the outdoors.
How would you describe your gardening style in 3 words?
Layered, wild, transporting.
Can you share three life skills you wish you were taught at school?
Resilience – before my illness, despite being high-achieving, I doubted myself every single day and was so hard on myself when life didn’t go perfectly. Having better tools to manage my anxiety would have saved so much worry. I’d also have loved cultural plant knowledge outside of the UK. I’m fascinated by global folklore and the meaning and use of plants around the world. Finally, how to successfully file a tax return!
What’s your ultimate gardening/floristry hack?
Kneepads! You may look like Marty McFly, but they save so much time compared to shifting a kneeling pad around. A belt holster for your secateurs – game changing! For floristry, flower frogs and if you’re overwhelmed by choice, a voluminous display of a single flower variety—like sunflowers or apple blossom—can be breathtaking and dynamic.
What does gardening mean to you, and why do you do it?
Gardening is my meditative practice. It helps me slow down, be present, and rest, even though my body is active. It’s also deeply creative and lets me experiment without restraint. It brings me beauty, in return, I honour its grounding.
Any tips for unwinding and switching off?
I love the ritual of a bath with no digital distractions or even a book. I add Dr Singha's Mustard Bath powder to the water, followed by swift cold shower, this leads me into the deepest sleep. Also, don’t feel guilty. Like our much-loved bulbs and tubers, rest and hibernation are essential—not a luxury, but an absolute necessity for both mind and body. I also love visiting the Garden Museum in London’s Lambeth of which I’m a trustee.
What is the piece of gardening kit you cannot live without?
My Hori Hori knife is permanently with me. It’s brilliantly versatile for digging and tackling stubborn roots, its Japanese history is also fascinating.
What's next on your reading list?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s an inspiring exploration into Indigenous wisdom and botanical science, weaving themes of ecology, gratitude, and our two-way relationship with nature—my perfect read.
Discover more, and listen to Sarah talk to Hazel more about her thought process behind her garden, and her absolute favourite plants for the garden and as cut flowers.