About Red Kite
I retrained with the RHS at Capel Manor College Regents Park, gaining a level 2 RHS Plant Health & Development certificate, around my day job in the fashion industry. While I will always love clothes and the creativity in the fashion world, my calling towards being outside, away from a desk and working with plants was too strong, and here we are!
Now working full-time in gardens across South East London, I am continuing to study, working towards a Garden Design Diploma with the British Academy of Garden Design.
Red Kite was born out of a love for gardening and a longing to bring nature into our city gardens. I want to make it easy for you to bring nature into your home, to help your well being and that of your local wildlife. You'll be amazed by what is living on your doorstep. RHS trained, with nature at the heart of what I do, I strive to always use sustainable, ethical products; recycled plastics and stay free from chemicals.
What's in a name?
Back in the 1800's Red Kites were hunted to almost extinction in the UK by farmers protecting their livestock and the trend for taxidermy. Fast forward to the 1990's and breeding pairs were reintroduced to several areas and have since thrived. Inspired by their story, and the idea that what us humans have removed, with a little help can be brought back to life. I am passionate about bringing nature back into our cities, starting with the tiny plots of land we have as gardens, we can all make a difference. Choosing plants with long flowering periods, open structures and repeat flowering means more enjoyment for you and more food for pollinators too! The more gardens I visit, the more diverse species I notice, in just a handful of gardens in the local area I have seen stag beetles, newts, frogs, countless bees and butterflies, monarch butterfly caterpillars and my favourite, a Red Kite flying overhead near Grangewood Park. There is always a Robin that comes to say hello and grab a tasty snack wherever I work too.
Nature Friendly Gardening
All my gardens find ways to help nature and wildlife thrive. Here are some of the things I do to help make a difference:
- Use of peat-free compost in all containers and gardens.
- Choosing plants with long season interest. This may be long flowering seasons, open flower structures, produces seeds and berries for birds, produces nesting places for birds and insects, provides ground cover.
- Adding in bird feeders and nesting boxes.
- Adding in water features and ensuring they are accessible for a wide range creatures.
- Never using herbicides or pesticides.
- Minimal use of machinery (such as hedge trimmers) during bird nesting season.
-Electric rather than petrol powered machinery, (lawn mower, strimmer, hedge trimmer) lowering carbon emissions.
- Creatively adding in additional nature friendly elements such as hedgehog highways, solitary bee houses and log piles without compromising on style.
- Introducing ways to save water; reducing the need for watering; harvesting water and managing waste water effectively.
- Responsible waste removal. Recycling/composting green waste, donating pots to community garden centre Cherry Orchard, using trusted waste removal teams who sort and recycle all waste.