a plantsman
There are a number of reasons why we decide to up sticks and make a new home for ourselves in Cornwall, but Andy’s reasoning behind his move is somewhat different to the rest of us. Allow me to enlighten you as to what brought him here.
Let’s now go back to the time when Andy left school. At that point in his life, he didn’t really have a career path of choice at the time so he did some miscellaneous factory type work which gave him some income and time to think what the future might have in store for him. A few years later, a friend of his offered him some labouring work at a local garden company and it was from there that Andy became interested in gardening, plants and botany, that’s plant science to you and me.
Andy told me “ i gained essential skills there such as potting composts and potting up/pricking out and general nursery practises and my knowledge has grown from collecting and reading many books on Horticulture and Botany” Andy’s love of all things plant related continued to grow (excuse the non intended pun there) but industrial Bedford and its surrounding areas weren’t working for him, so his thoughts then turned to a climate where he could expand on his plantsman skills.
“my knowledge has grown from collecting and reading many books on Horticulture and Botany”
So why did Andy move to Cornwall then? Well, It was the climate. Simple as that! He upped sticks, moved down here and set himself up as a self employed gardener. As you all know, we have a very different climate to other parts of the UK down here and Andy wanted to expand on that. He worked for a while in large estate gardens with rare plant collections which he became interested in and from there he started collecting various rare and interesting plants which then manifested itself into a hobby as well. Setting up his own business is where he finds himself today, locally known as Andy’s Airplants.
So what is an Airplant? Well, here’s Andy’s explanation for you, “An Airplant is a common term and not a botanical term which is mainly applied to the Tillandsia species which are from the Bromeliad family”. So, eight years down the line in business and Andy couldn’t be happier. His knowledge is infectious and he is clearly very passionate about what he does. He’s won numerous awards at RHS (Royal Horticultural Shows) and has a well established plant business to be proud of - Oh, and he loves juggling too.
Thank you Andy for allowing me to document and photograph what you do. RD
