About Me, Plants,Flowers, Passion and my best mate

Mark Rice

Dip GD (Inst GD),Cert GD (H.C. College), RHS General Certificate

6.5 years training at Bristol Zoological gardens

Gardening since aged 2 with my Grandad ( Horace Howes DSM )

I have always enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle, holidays in the highlands of Scotland have given both my wife Michelle and my son and daughter many memories to enjoy and talk about often. This is now reflected in there partners also enjoying the excitement that we showed them in the beginning.

My life with Horticulture is much more than a job, its a passion. Every garden I go to, each plant I carefully handle is part of my enjoyment in life. When I first started on my own I had to tell myself its a business not a hobby as its very easy to get carried away with your thoughts and passion when you can visualise what you are going to create.

I was very lucky to have a very helpful teacher at school called Mr Ron Rogers, he encouraged me to go to night school learning Horticulture as well as Photography, the two are a great combination.

He got me my first job, left school one day working within three days, but it felt so good. I started at Hollywood Towers Estate now known as the wild project ( Bristol Zoos new home ). Fields where we planted nursery crops of bedding plants, cut flowers, vegetables in rows 300 plants long, as well as many other new tasks I had never tried before. I then moved into the zoo itself, greenhouse section for a while. Tropical plants, Cacti, Fucshias, Geraniums Orchids and Ferns, cold frames and heated frames to harden plants off. Working within the grounds was great, you would meet so many people who you could talk to and they would ask questions about the plants.

After a few other jobs in landscaping, sports retail ( my other interest ) I decide to go out on my own, be my own boss, make my own decisions and with my experience and plant knowledge Inspire was born.

I enjoy working with my clients, showing them that they can have the colour,beauty and interest a garden brings. Aesthetically interesting gardens have been around for centuries, but Horticulture is always the same, the weather often controls your plants, the light determines what you can grow and where, the soil which is the basis of all good gardens needs to be respected, but most important of all you need three things to be successful, and those are time, patience and just that little bit of common sense.

What keeps me in the garden wilderness is that there is always something new to learn, new plants, new ideas, a surprise in each season, and most importantly nature. Nothing excites me more than seeing clients with a big smile when we finish, knowing that they also played a big part in creating another masterpiece but this time its in there garden not a gallery.

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Fynne - 15/04/2010 - 09/08/2025

Working with me from 10 weeks old, my workmate, my partner and my best friend, my shadow for 15 years. I didn’t own Fynne we were just very good mates, I am lucky for the memories we made together.

We often talked on site about how the borders were looking, did he think we needed to change it a little, why are we out in this weather ? A member of the family, the business and all he asked in return was love, and he was never short of that.

Thank you to all my clients over the years who enjoyed Fynnes company as much as I did- Thank you Mark

ps. I still talk to him every day about what we are doing, he still sits in the front seat while I’m driving, and its always good morning and good night

GET IN TOUCH

So lets work with it, call me, if you don’t ask?