Hello, I'm Emelye.

I started Holistic Horticulture because I believe looking after a garden shouldn't mean reaching for a chemical every time something goes wrong — and that the best gardens are the ones their owners actually understand.

I'm RHS Level 2 qualified and have spent years getting my hands into other people's soil — helping nervous first-time gardeners, busy families who've just moved house, and people simply tired of a garden that never quite behaves. My approach is always organic, always patient, and always focused on teaching as much as doing.

The other half of my working life is spent coaching: I'm a European and UK CrossFit Champion, a qualified personal trainer, and a former sponsored athlete. Gardening is proper physical work — digging, lifting, kneeling, reaching — and I love bringing that side of me into the garden too, helping people move well and stay strong enough to actually enjoy it.

Outside of the garden, I'm pretty much always outdoors anyway — I'm a keen (some would say obsessive) bird spotter, binoculars rarely far from reach, and a bit of a soft touch for animals in need of rescuing. Add a strong coffee and I'm set for the day. It's really all the same love of nature wearing different hats: whether I'm watching for a yellowhammer in a hedgerow or helping a client's border come back to life, it's the same quiet thrill.

When I'm not elbow-deep in a border (or training), you'll usually find me testing a new composting method, foraging ideas from hedgerows, or planning next season's Potting Shed Sessions.