John’s Bio

I am a professional gardener who began by caring for cricket wickets at a rural school in Hampshire back in 1999. After moving to Brighton in 2001, I began a lengthy stint running a pub in the busy North Laine area of the city. During this time I studied Horticulture at Brighton City College. I established Starling Gardens in 2007.

After many years of working on small-garden builds, renovations and commercial and private maintenance projects, my focus in 2026 is directed to managing, developing and caring for private gardens in Sussex. Each garden and piece of land I work with is unique, from a large rural habitat with acres of wildlife-rich woodland, to a small city centre garden.

Throughout my time working in horticulture I have maintained a keen interest in creative planting. During a favourite project of recent years, in the role of planting consultant, I collaborated with a well known local landscaping company to help transform a featureless and wildlife-poor private city space into a stunning and bio-diverse Japanese-inspired water garden.

Outside of my time working in gardens, I have volunteered as a Schools Outreach Session Leader for the RSPB. This involved working as an environmental educator to help connect school children with nature and the environment. I also continue to volunteer as part of an RSPB team researching the effects of wildlife habitat loss across city environments.

During 2024 & 2025 I rebuilt and developed the steep, neglected, west facing garden of my family’s new home near Hollingbury & Burstead Woods in Brighton.

My love of trees, plants and wildlife, drives my work and further fuels my interest in environmentalism and ecology.