Profile

Former presenter of BBC2’s Gardeners’ World and a prolific journalist and author, Nigel was a regular on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time.  He has written about gardening, travel and the countryside for The Times, Sunday Times, New York Times, Country Homes & Interiors and most of the horticultural magazines.  He lectures on plants all around the country and is on the Royal Horticultural Society’s Committee ‘A’, judging at major flower shows including Chelsea.  His books include Short Cuts to Great Gardens, The Container Garden, Annuals and Bedding Plants, A Flower For Every Day, Great Plants for Small Gardens, Plant Solutions, Natural Gardening the Traditional Way and he has also published a number of novels. Nigel is the presenter of the RHS Wisley Centenary video. Combining his experience in travel and gardening, Nigel leads specialist tours world-wide on gardening and wild-life.

Biography

A richly varied - some might say chequered - past has provided Nigel Colborn with experience in several walks of life. He rowed for his school eight, but nowadays limits his exercise to heavy gardening and riding his bike. His education began at King's School, Ely and Cornell University, USA, and has continued through years of travel, hard and soft knocks and various other life-improving events.

He began his first career in the animal nutrition industry, becoming a company director in charge of exports before resigning in 1976 to take up farming. He stayed in agriculture for a decade but then surrendered the tenancy of his farm to become a fulltime journalist, writer and broadcaster.

He has written about gardening, travel or the countryside for The Times, Sunday Times, New York Times, Country Homes & Interiors and most of the horticultural magazines. His regular features in BBC Gardeners' World Magazine and earthy practical column in Garden News have been particularly acclaimed.

His books include This Gardening Business (Cassell 1989), Leisurely Gardening (Helm 1989), Exposed Gardens (Ward Lock 1990), The Container Garden (Conran Octopus 1990), Short Cuts to Great Gardens (Conran Octopus 1993), the paperback edition of The Container Garden (1993), Annuals and Bedding Plants (Conran Octopus 1994), A Flower for Every Day (Quadrille 1996), Great Plants for Small Gardens (Conran Octopus spring 1997) and Garden Magic (Quadrille Publishing autumn 1998) and Great Planting Plans (Quadrille 1998), Plant Solutions (Collins 2006) and A Garden Under Glass: The Glasshouse RHS Garden Wisley (RHS 2007) and Natural Gardening the Traditional Way (Aquamarine, 2007).

Besides books on horticulture he has written Family Piles (Cassell 1990), a humorous account of country living and three novels: The Kirkland Acres (Orion 1994), The Congregation (Warner 1996) and Weather of the Heart (Warner 1997). Like any author, he is passionately committed to the craft of writing and he uses this interest to teach writing for the Northamptonshire Education Authority.

BBC Television invited him to join the Gardeners' World team on a regular basis in autumn 1989 and he has appeared on BBC2 on many Friday evenings waxing lyrical about his favourite flowers or wrestling with wayward plants. He was one of the judges for BBC Gardener Of The Year broadcast for the first time in autumn 1999 and regularly presented the Gorgeous Gardens series for Granada Breeze. He co-presented the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show Special on BBC television, was a regular guest on Bsky B's The Cook's Garden and Garden Club Question Time as well as How Does Your Garden Grow for UK Style. Nigel has been regular panellist on Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time. His radio programme, In a Monastery Garden, broadcast on Radio 4 was widely acclaimed, and in summer 1995 he presented part of the series Into the Garden, on BBC Radio 3.

Nigel is on the Royal Horticultural Society Council as well as the RHS 'A' committee, judging at major flower shows including Chelsea, and was for seven years a National Judge for the Britain In Bloom Competition. He writes on a regular basis for Gardeners' World Magazine, The Times, Garden News and The Garden, the RHS journal that has the largest regular circulation of any gardening magazine.

Nigel is currently touring the country in Green With Envy, answering gardening questions from the public with James Alexander Sinclair in a witty and informative show. When not busy with all of the above, Nigel spend his time contributing to his hugely popular blog, Silvertreedaze.

An experienced traveller, he leads specialist tours world-wide on gardening and wild life tours, and is in great demand, not only as a lecturer, but also as a raconteur and entertainer. He even finds time, occasionally, to do some real gardening.

Nigel is the presenter of the RHS Wisley Centenary video and is a director of RHS Publications Ltd.

He is married with two sets of twins. Other hobbies and interests include art, music, literature, photography, wine and food - though not necessarily in that order.

Updated 11/02/2010