How have you made use of the qualification?

I’ve been lucky enough to do a great mix of paid and voluntary work. After my studies in the US, I found work through contacts I had made – acting as a research assistant in a major US landscape preservation firm and conducting research for the City of Cambridge on public parks and private gardens. Plus, I was persuaded by a colleague to submit a version of my academic thesis to the MIT Press, and it was duly published as Fresh Pond: the history of a Cambridge landscape. Other writing work has included, for instance, an interview with the owner of a major French landscape for an American magazine and articles on two Indian gardens for a Dorling Kindersley book. Alongside this I served as co-editor of Historic Gardens Review, having previously written lots of articles for the magazine. I’ve taught landscape architecture undergraduates and, for many years, ran an online course on the History of the English Landscape Garden for the University of Oxford, where I was recommended for the position by my former academic supervisor. Perhaps my most fun piece of consultancy has been as historic garden advisor for Monty Don’s award-winning BBC series on French gardens.

In an unpaid capacity I have had my fingers in all sorts of pies – from speaking at and organising international conferences to helping a local charity restore a heritage site, and even discussing the history of a botanical garden on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt! Most recently I’ve been busy as a trustee of the Gardens Trust, involved in a whole range of activities including organising our online lecture programme, helping catalogue our archives and chairing an annual Oxford study weekend. The Gardens Trust is a great place to find all sorts of opportunities and contacts.