LoveEast.53

| East life
Now's the time to start thinking about your garden
and Project Green Thumb's Alison Touzout has
some great advice
Tell us about Project Green Thumb; how did it
begin?
Well, my husband Muzzy (Mr. Green Thumb) and
I have both been immersed in green all our lives,
so the roots go deep but Project Green Thumb
really came into its own a couple of years back.
We were both already in the industry, with Muzzy
doing a lot of hard landscaping work like decking
and paving and fencing while
I was teaching gardening
and running community
gardening programmes in the
East London area. We had
been toying with the idea of
bringing our skills together
to start our own business
but just didn’t quite know
how. Then, as if by magic, the
answer appeared in front of
my eyes, quite literally.
I was planning a series of
gardening sessions at East
Ham library where I ran a
weekly garden club for the
over 50s and was hovering
over the gardening shelf for
inspiration when this book popped into view. Its
title was How to start and run your own gardening
business.
I was, like, Whoa! Spooky!
Needless to say, I grabbed it off the shelf, took the
book out on loan, read it page to page in about two
days and persuaded Muzzy this was the answer and
we should just go for it. We followed every step in
the book, thought of a name, bought the t-shirts,
printed the flyers, bought the van, added a few
more tools to the collection and within a couple of
weeks we were set up and ready to put the word
out. We’ve not looked back since.
Do you have a favourite garden task?
Anything to do with plants, definitely. It’s where I
get to use my creative colour and artistic skills; my
knowledge of when, where, how and why plants
should be added to a scheme; digging them in, and
of course, the cherry on top, plant shopping. It’s not
really a task at all, more of an obsession/addiction.
12 LOVEEAST
What's the most satisfying aspect of your
business?
Seeing a project being transformed from an idea in
my head to an actual finished garden with all the
colours and styles and curves I’d originally sketched
on paper. When the last plant goes in and you step
back to watch a big broad smile spread over your
client’s face, that is very satisfying indeed.
And the most challenging?
I think most landscapers will
agree the biggest challenge
is rain. A bit of drizzle is
totally acceptable but when it
comes down in bucketloads,
like it did throughout most
of October and November
last year, it is so hard to get
things done. Taking up old
turf becomes a mud wrestle;
trying to use electrical
equipment such as hedge
trimmers or cement mixers
is a dice with death; painting
fences just turns to pretty
puddles, and laying paving in
the rain? A big no-no!
Do you have a favourite plant or flower?
That’s a hard one. There are a billion to choose from
and I always seem to be finding new favourites.
Right this minute it has to be Chinese witch hazel
but if I absolutely had to choose just one all-timer
it would be lavender. A, because it smells amazing.
B, because bees and butterflies love it. C, because
it comes in shades of purple and white which
complement so many other colours. D, because
it has so many medicinal uses and E, F, G and H,
because it’s extremely low maintenance, lasts for
years, needs very little water and thrives in poor soil.
What's the most common mistake people make
when planning their garden?
Lack of proper planning, for sure.
Proper planning of a garden is quite detailed but
also essential if you want a garden that really thrives
and enhances your entire living space. There are
a lot of elements to consider and it can be a bit