Date – 15 November 2023
Time – 10:30 am - 3:00 pm
Grow Careers Scotland is back for 2023! Taking place both online and at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th November, the day of seminars by a range of horticulturists covers a broad variety of topical subjects. The event is aimed at anybody who us interested in a career, or further developing their career, in horticulture.
Featured speakers will include Liz Barron-Majerik, who serves as the Director of Lantra Scotland. Additionally, a panel of emerging and young horticulturists will participate, representing various fields such as therapeutic horticulture at Trellis, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Fife Council, and a Scottish Nature Restoration project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The lineup also includes the renowned Garden Designer and TV Presenter, Adam Frost, along with other distinguished individuals.
Follow our Grow Careers social media channels for regular updates.
The event is free to attend both in person and online. Please note registration is required prior to this event. In-person spaces often sell-out quickly so don’t delay your registration! Only pre-booking will guarantee entry. Entry for in-person attendees is 10.00am to allow for sign-in etc. The event will start at 10.30am.
David Knott
David is currently Curator of Living Collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh [RBGE]. Previously he was Curator of Dawyck Botanic Garden, near Peebles, and Garden Supervisor at Logan Botanic Garden. He was also Head Gardener at Castle Kennedy Gardens, Assistant Head Gardener with the National Trust for Scotland’s [NTS] Brodick Castle Garden, Isle of Arran and has also spent a year at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. David studied at Threave Gardens [NTS], and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and started his career at Branklyn Garden [NTS], Perth.
David is involved in RBGE’s contribution to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) Target 8 project work in Scotland and has undertaken fieldwork in China, Japan, Korea, and Nepal. He is currently a member of the; Scottish Plant Health Centre, Scottish Invasive Non-Native working group, Royal Horticultural Society [RHS] Bursaries Committee, the RHS Woody Plant Committee, the UK Plant Collections Working Group, the Forestry Commission’s Westonbirt and Bedgebury Advisory Committee, Drummond and Grimesthorpe Council, Borde Hill Garden Trust, Howick Hall Garden Trust and the Merlin Trust. He is also Honorary President of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.
Dr Liz Barron-Majerik
Liz is the Scotland Director of Lantra, a charity that works to grow the rural economy and enhance the natural environment by supporting skills development.
Previously she was Programme Development Manager of Natural and Applied Science for Inverness College UHI, a role which (among others), includes management of the Scottish School of Forestry and the Science and Aquaculture provision. Her academic background is in plant science, with a degree in botany and PhD in Agronomy, though most of her career has been in academic management.
In 2011 Liz gained an MBE for her work engaging young people in STEM, which included the Inverness Science Festival, STEMinars and more. She was Co-Chair of the Commission for the Land-Based Learning Review, a group established to undertake a root and branch review of learning in Scotland’s land-based and aquaculture sectors, which was submitted to ministers in 2023.
Emma Martindale
Emma is currently the Training and Standards Officer for Trellis, the Scottish network for social and therapeutic horticulture, and has an interest in the development of professional standards, training, and support for current and new practitioners and students working in this area.
Prior to working with Trellis, Emma completed a BSc in Ecology 2006, then going on to work in several community garden projects across Edinburgh. She then completed the MSW in Social Work in 2014, with a desire to expand her experience in supporting others, and was fortunate to work as a social worker and then team leader in an integrated social care and health team for adults with learning disabilities in the Scottish Borders. After 8 years in social work the pull of therapeutic gardening was strong. Emma went on to complete Royal Horticultural Society Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture, and now runs Nature on the Mind providing therapeutic gardening sessions, and garden maintenance, alongside her work with Trellis.
In her free time, Emma loves all things horticulture, particularly edible gardening and gardening for wildlife. She also loves to spend time at the beach in East Lothian where she lives with her husband and son.
Robert Ross
Robert Is a professional horticulturist with over a decade of experience in Public Sector amenity horticulture. Since leaving horticultural college, he has held a variety of roles in Aberdeen City Council, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Perth & Kinross Council. Robert is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and Vice-President of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.
Robert has recently taken up the role of Green Space Improvement Officer in Fife Council’s Grounds Maintenance Service, providing support to the service on a range of projects and initiatives. He will share how his career has developed to date, what a Green Space Improvement Officer does, and what challenges and opportunities face those working in public sector amenity horticulture – there’s a lot more to it than just cutting grass!
Rachel Robinson
After leaving a career in architectural modelmaking, Rachel completed the BSc Hons in Horticulture with Plantsmanship where her dissertation focused on mapping the effects climate change is predicted to have on Scottish native montane woodland species. During the BSc she worked in garden maintenance around Edinburgh and immediately upon graduating started a Horticulturist job in the Arboretum team at RBGE. She is currently on secondment from this position to work on the Scottish Plant Recovery project where she is leading on the three Arran Whitebeams.
Jennifer Wright
Jennifer started off her career by applying for the NC Horticulture certificate at SRUC Oatridge Campus. She loved it so much that she quickly followed this up with an apprenticeship at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. There for two years she learnt the basics and knew that horticulture was right for her. Desiring to learn more the three-year Professional Gardener’s Guild practical diploma took Jennifer to three quite different gardens as a student; Waddesdon Manor, The Garden House and Savill & Valley Gardens. Most recently, she has graduated from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s own three-year diploma course where students work and study simultaneously.
Now, working in the Japanese Gateway at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Jennifer looks after a traditional Japanese gravel garden. Here she thrives looking after such an iconic landscape where she can combine her passion for Japanese gardens and ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is the study of plants and people. “The plants here have been used in Japanese Gardens for centuries for religious and cultural purposes, food and appreciated for their beauty. It is a pleasure to work in such a magical garden.”
Will Hinchcliffe
Will is Arboricultural Supervisor at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and an active member of the Arboricultural Association. He will share his career journey with us and his passion for arboriculture.
Arit Anderson
Arit Anderson is a garden and landscaper designer, writer, podcaster and TV presenter.
She spent 25 years working in the dynamic industries of retail fashion and creative events, she balanced this fast-paced career with personal interests in well-being, working as a part-time therapist in London and teaching holistic therapies.
It was the joy of having her own garden in 2010 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.
From the first season of her garden’s development Arit knew she wanted horticulture to become her work as well as her pleasure.
She studied garden design at Capel Manor College and whilst there had the taste of success at RHS Chelsea 2013 winning the Fresh Talent category for a student design collaboration with two other students. Arit went on to design and deliver her own show garden and won a Gold Medal at RHS Hampton Court in 2016 in the conceptual category. The garden was televised and its message on climate change and the environment is now at the heart of Arit’s work.
In her designs for both private and commercial clients her ethos includes simplicity and environmental sensitivity. This was more recently demonstrated in the 2021 Chelsea Show Garden she was commissioned to do for the Royal Horticultural Society.
Arit is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute, Trustee for the National Garden Scheme, RHS Ambassador for the Environment and Community, and co-founder of the Sustainable Landscape Foundation.
Working as presenter for Gardeners World 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.
Adam Frost
After training in horticulture and garden design, Adam began his career with the North Devon Parks Department, later moving to Rutland to work with Geoff Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens helping design many of the small gardens still on show today. Going solo in 1996, Adam went on to run a successful garden design business, create multiple award-winning show gardens, work as a presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World, set up the Homebase Gardening Academy, become an RHS Ambassador and Author of 4 books.
Raoul Curtis-Machin
Raoul Curtis-Machin has 33 years of experience in horticulture and heritage. He has been Director of Horticulture at the Horticultural Trades Association, a National Trust Gardens and Parks Adviser, landscape historian, private estate manager, garden designer, publisher, author, lecturer and more. Born in Dundee he developed his childhood interest in horticulture through studying for a degree in landscape management at Reading University.
He has a wealth of heritage, politics, communications and landscape management experience. Raoul also helped protect some of the Scotland’s most valuable landscapes when he was the Landscape Historian with Historic Environment Scotland. In his twenties, he managed Sir Winston Churchill’s former estate in Sussex and run a successful garden design business in London. In his early thirties he set up and launched The Northern Garden Magazine, for gardeners in Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland.
As the HTA’s Director of Horticulture, he helped lead the UK garden industry by playing a key role in developing the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Action Group and he represented the UK Government as Commissioner-General at the Antalya Expo 2016. In 2018, Raoul returned to Scotland to be the National Trust for Scotland Operations Manager for Culloden Battlefield, which has given him hands-on experience of Scottish heritage tourism, as well as conserving one of Scotland’s iconic heritage assets. He has been a Trustee of RBGE since 2019, and has a Certificate in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors, as well as Postgraduate Diplomas in Journalism and Public Affairs.
In-person ticket sales close on Friday 10th November.
We look forward to seeing you on 15 November 2023 for this year’s Grow Careers Scotland event. Entrance is via 20A Inverleith Row, with the conference taking place in the Lecture Theatre
(octagonal section of the Balfour Building), RBGE. Please note access will not be permitted from any other entrance due to the current glasshouse building works.
The nearest train station to RBGE is Edinburgh Waverley which is a 15-minute walk from the garden. There is a regular bus link from the station which is routed past RBGE as well as local taxi firms. For those travelling by car, there is long stay car parking nearby on Arboretum Place, Inverleith Place and Inverleith Terrace. Bus and train details can be found on the below location map.
