Date – 16 November 2020 - 19 November 2020
Time – 1:00 pm

 

Sharon Loving – Vice President, Horticulture at Longwood Gardens

Sharon Loving leads the Horticulture Department, which consists of over 120 full & part-time employees and 300 volunteers, who are responsible for producing and maintaining Longwood’s world-renowned horticultural display garden on over 1,100 acres. The Horticulture Department is responsible for all aspects of horticulture, land management, exhibits, and interpretation.

Sharon also leads the Programming Committee, an interdisciplinary cross-departmental team that develops annually, changing thematic guest programs. She spearheads horticultural and aesthetic aspects of capital projects. She recently served in a primary leadership role for the Main Fountain Garden Revitalization Project.

Sharon has led the Horticulture Department for fifteen years and began her public horticulture career in 1984 as a Senior Gardener in Indoor Display. Prior to her current position, she has held the position of Indoor Display Specialist, Display Foreman, and Floriculturist. She has served as a public spokesperson on nationally syndicated television programs, such as Good Morning America and the Today Show, and has participated in judging opportunities both at the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Tournament of Roses Parade. She holds an Associated Degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Greenhouse Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies, both from the University of Maryland. She was the recipient of the prestigious APGA Professional Citation Award in 2013.

In addition to her duties at Longwood, Sharon serves on the Board of Directors and the Advancement and Nominating Committees for the Delaware Center for Horticulture; the Friends Board for Anson B. Nixon Park; the Kennett Gateway Committee; the Horticulture Program Advisory Committee for Williamson College of the Trades, and the Bennett’s Run Watershed Conservation Planning Committee. Sharon has served on numerous peer review committees nationally.

In addition to her duties at Longwood Gardens, she serves on the Horticulture Advisory Committee for Winterthur Garden, Wilmington, Delaware and the Editorial Advisory Board for APGA Public Garden publication. In 2013 she received the prestigious American Public Gardens Association Professional Citation Award.

Henry McBeath –

Henry is a career changer having spent his first year in horticulture working at a National Trust garden in Ireland before progressing onto the Horticultural Training Scheme at The MacRobert Trust in Aberdeenshire. He will tell us about his career journey so far that most recently involved being on the International Student Programme at Longwood Gardens.

Chris Moncreiff – Head of Horticultural Relations – Royal Horticultural Society

Chris joined Van Heyningen Brothers in 1983 his career remained unbroken with the same company under various guises for 35 years in various management and board positions, culminating as Production Director. 2017 saw him take on a new challenge by leaving Vitacress Herbs as the then Production Director to take up a newly created position at the Royal Horticultural Society as Head of Horticultural Relations. Chris has a keen love of plants and is involved heavily with the RHS plant trials and RHS bursaries. Chris lists one of the best perks of his job as getting to meet many magnificent horticulturists.

 

 

Tuesday 17th November 2020 – 1pm

Inspirational Horticulturists

 

A programme of Inspirational horticulturists at different stages of their career journeys telling us of their horticultural careers and thoughts for the future.

Cameron Tasker

Cameron has previously spoken at this event having previously studied and worked at The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.  He will be updating us on his career journey as he is now Team leader for a maintenance team for a boutique plant nursery in Malvern Australia

 

Tim Turnbull

Tim is an Apprentice Gardener for the National Trust for Scotland at Crathes Castle Garden having recently completed his SVQ Level 2 qualification at SRUC’s Oatridge campus.

Will Hinchliffe

Will is Arboricultural Supervisor at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and an active member of the Arboricultural Association. He will share his and other Association members career journeys with us and, their passion for arboriculture.

These links provide further information for people interested in a career in Arboriculture. The free online webinars are a particularly valuable resource.

• 12 faces of arb series – gives a good idea of the variety of roles in arb and, women in the industry
• Careers homepage
• Young arborists blog
• Free online learning webinars

 

Kenny Steven

Kenny is Head Gardener at Holyrood Palace Gardens and works for Historic Environment Scotland. He is relatively new to the post and will tell us about his career journey and aspirations for the future.

Sallie Sillars

Sallie is Head Gardener/Garden Therapist at Horatio’s Garden which is linked to the Scottish National Spinal Injuries Unit Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow. She won Scotland’s Gardener of the Year in 2017 and studied Landscape Management and Social and Therapeutic Horticulture after a career in textile design.

 

Wednesday 18th November 2020 – 1pm

International Year of Plant Health

Professor Gerry Saddler  – Chief Plant Health Officer for Scotland and Head of SASA at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)

He joined SASA in 2001 to head the Diagnostics & Molecular Biology Branch (DMB), taking over responsibility for Diagnostics and Analytical Services (DAS) Branches in 2008. He became Head of Potato and Plant Health in 2014 with responsibility for 4 scientific Branches; Diagnostics, Wildlife & Molecular Biology (DWMB), Plant Biosecurity & Inspections, Potato and Virology & Zoology Branches.

He has worked on plant pathogenic bacteria affecting potato for more than 20 years, previously with CABI.

He served as a technical adviser to policy colleagues within the Scottish Government, on bacterial diseases and their control and is a member of the International Society for Plant Pathology’s Committee on the Taxonomy of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria.

He was awarded an Honorary Professorship by Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, in April 2014.

 

Thursday 19th November 2020 – 1pm
Modern Tree Planting & A Look Ahead

GreenBlue Urban –

With 28 years of experience in urban tree planting, GreenBlue Urban pride themselves on their industry-leading expertise, experience and proven track record of successful projects.

Howard Gray – PR & Specification Consultant

Howard has travelled extensively for the past few years, educating and presenting superior tree establishment methods to wide audiences from many different disciplines. Widley recognised as a passionate urban tree enthusiast within the UK.

 

 

 

Hannah Cook –Marketing Assistant at GreenBlue Urban

Hannah liaises with industry specialists organising Events and CPD’s. Hannah thoroughly enjoys meeting with new people, working to expand and enable sustainable cities on a global scale.

Chris Collins – Director at CM Collins Horticulture

Chris Collins has been at the forefront of Horticulture in the UK for over 25 years now , beginning with an Apprenticeship on Brighton Parks before moving on to get his DHE at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh . A large spell overseas working in the rain forests of Cameroon followed by 4 years of horticultural design and lecturing in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo . Returning to the UK , Chris worked at Kew Botanic gardens before becoming head gardener at Westminster Abbey. Chris was then picked out by the BBC for the Plants-man series and consequently became the resident Blue Peter Gardener. CM Collins Horticulture was set up 10 years ago and blends Chris’s TV and journalistic work with horticultural design and consultancy , specialising in plants and soft landscaping. Currently Head of Horticulture for Garden Organic. Presenter QVC television.

Registration has now closed for this event. Please keep an eye on our website for further details on how you can catch-up on missed sessions. 

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Grow Careers Scotland 2020 is kindly sponsored by: