- Expertise: Diploma in contemporary topics in science from the Open University with a focus on Botany. Level 2 diploma in Practical Horticulture from Sheffield College.
- Previous professional experience: 10 years as a landscape gardener, worked for 3 years at a local nursery cultivating plants for sale at local garden centers.
- Personal experience: Owner of almost all known houseplants! I sell cuttings of rare houseplants on sites such as Etsy as a part-time project and write about my experience caring for plants on Gardener Report. I also care for my personal garden, growing ornamental plants as well as fruit and vegetables. This is in addition to the gardens I cultivate as part of my job as a landscape gardener.
Hello, I’m Mark Bennett, and I’m a full-time gardener!
I have been working as a qualified horticulturist and tree surgeon for over 10 years, and I have a passion for caring and cultivating garden plants.
I started working at a nursery 4 years ago that cultivates both garden plants and houseplants for sale and we distribute to local garden centers in the area.
In this role, I cultivate plants and ensure they are in optimal condition for sale, whether that is making sure they flower at the right time or adjusting the conditions in the greenhouse to ensure that they thrive in time for sale and troubleshooting any problems along the way!
In my spare time, I have studied botany at the Open University and Sheffield College, achieving diplomas to complement my college qualifications in horticultural and tree surgery.
This has allowed me to apply theoretical and practical knowledge to plant care.
Whilst I have an intrinsic interest in all plants, I am passionate about growing Mediterranean plants such as lavenders and herbs due to their aroma, culinary use, and flowers that attract pollinators and contribute to a healthy garden ecology as well as houseplants for their calming and positive affects on mental health.
Currently, one of my favorite aspects of gardening is propagating plants as I think it is a great way to produce more plants for free!
I have 17 ongoing experiments when it comes to propagation (of both garden and houseplants) such as whether or not hormone rooting powder is necessary for propagating lavenders (which I cover in this article).
One of My Reader Success Stories
Here at Gardener Report, I believe the best way to help my readers is to provide practical, tested advice from my own experience.
I conduct my own experiments on all my plants and share the results in my articles to make sure you get the very best tips and tricks for reviving and caring for your plants that ACTUALLY WORK, rather than just going off theory.
I experiment with different methods of reviving plants, whether it’s finding the best way to increase humidity for that particular plant or the best ratio of potting soil to perlite to make sure your drought-loving plants survive in rainy climates!
The most gratifying thing about writing on Gardener Report is that I get emails from my readers with their success stories! Here’s what one of my readers, Ellen, had to say about applying my advice that I shared on propagating lavender…
“Thanks Mark for your detailed guide on propagting lavender! I love your step-by-step guie. Your analysis of whether to use hormone rooting powder was something I haven’t seen elsewhere! Before, my propagted lavender would always rot before they would root. Since implementing your tips I have nearly a 100% success rate with propagation! Thanks again!”
Right now, I am trying to learn through first-hand experience the success rate of propagating houseplants in the Winter.
I love to find out for myself what works rather than writing from a theoretical or secondary research perspective.
I have personally owned and cared for all the plants that I write about on Gardener Report (both in my own garden and as houseplants) which has given may years of experience of not only how to grow plants but to revive plants if they are dying!
I am the owner of Gardener Report, the only writer on this website, and I have written every article. I hope you enjoy reading the articles on Gardener Report and I will do my best to share all my knowledge and personal expertise!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or contact me on social media. If you have a specific question about your plant, please comment on one of my articles. I reply to every question, and I’ve found that the interactions with my readers often help many others, too!
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