About Kristien and this site
Taking Your Garden to the Next Level
This was not my starting point. Just like a garden, it grew over time. I have had the good fortune to enjoy my working career, learning like a sponge and absorbing knowledge from great gardening masters.
We all have a beginning. With each step, we take our garden to the next level. Ultimately, you may want to Garden Like A Master in the future too!
It Started Here
I was 16 years old. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and I was out with my dad. We had climbed a hill and were looking down on my hometown—an historic industrial cotton town in the north of England—when my dad said to me:
“Kristian, there’s more to life than what you see in front of you. I want to tell you that there’s more beyond this town where you live.”
Brian Booth
Never in My Wildest Dreams
Never in my wildest dreams did I, as a 16-year-old girl, imagine that 15 years later I would be flying 6,000 miles, all expenses paid, to help a woman take her garden to the next level.
My Big Life Adventure
My big life adventure started while I was working at the world-renowned gardens of Powis Castle in Mid Wales.
I first came to Powis Castle Gardens as a student, completing part of my four-year horticultural training at Myerscough College, part of UCLan.
My role as borders supervisor meant that I met members of the public every day.
It was an autumn day when I met Edna and David for the first time on the main terrace. They were staying in the holiday cottage at Powis Castle on their honeymoon.
“Do you know if there is a gardener here who would be interested in flying to my home to help me with my garden?”
Edna Renfrow Brown
It did not surprise me that Edna had asked the question. Many people would say things like that when you worked in a world-renowned garden. Only this time, it was a serious question.
For the rest of my working day, I went through every employee in my head, wondering who would be a good match—until there was no one left but me!
That Evening, Over a Hot Stove
With some hesitation and my fingers crossed, I knocked on the door to find out whether the offer was real.
Edna welcomed me with open arms, thrust a spoon into my hand and said, “Can you stir this sauce in the pan?” We chatted and struck a deal for me to help take her garden to the next level.
I can remember it feeling like a dream until the day the physical plane ticket arrived in the post and I held it in my hand. Things like this did not happen to people like me.
Another World Opened Up for Me
That experience opened another world before my eyes. Today, I am no longer that 16-year-old girl or the young woman beginning the adventure of a lifetime.
Today, I combine my love of helping people with my love of horticulture to take you and your garden to the next level.
In 2020, I began my Facebook page and group. I felt the need to support gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
Many people have written to tell me how I helped them through the challenging times we all experienced.
Seek and Ye Shall Find
I had been exploring ways to bring my experience and expert knowledge to more gardeners.
In the spring of 2021, I was invited to appear as a guest on the podcast A Touch of Sunlight. Mary, my host, interviewed me about my journey.
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.”
Lao Tzu
This quote has stayed with me throughout my life, and it is so true. Having a mentor can make all the difference.
I had been looking for a mentor to help me launch Garden Like A Master™. Through a Facebook group, I connected with Smiling Steve™. His help, support and advice have been invaluable, and I am excited about the future.
It is my wish to inspire and enable you to grow throughout your own gardening journey.
Contact Garden Like A Master™ to learn more.
Happy Gardening, Kristian