The first of anything we do is always so memorable isn’t? From our first time cycling without stabilisers,  first night away from the family home, first alcholic drink followed by first drink in the pub legally and of course, your  first clumbsy kiss!. It’s the same for us gardeners, I can still remember the first seeds planted, helping my Dad in the family vegatable garden, something that sowed the seeds of love in a truly wonderful career, one that you never ever stop learning something new from nature itself. For me, starting out as a 16yr old YT student at Mottisfont Abbey Gardens, planting my first tree was even more of a special thing, the tree to start with, was a Pinus wallichiana, the Bhutan pine. This was the tree that developed my love of pine trees, where indeed our plants came from and also started my interest in the history of the plants and the plant hunters, who risked their lives to bring us stunning plants to enjoy in our gardens. This one tree sowed a big seed that is still growing and improving with age, so much like the tree it’s self that is now become the big feature within the winter garden at Mottisfont and will hopefully live much longer than me, inspiring other young people into the world of horticulture.