Sonya Patel Ellis is an realised garden writer of several book , include ‘ Collins Botanical Bible ’ , ‘ The Heritage Herbal ’ and ‘ The Modern Gardener ’ .
Her work have been recognised and celebrate across the UK by other gardener and writers .
Beyond Book , she has also write articles for renowned publications like Gardens Illustrated and runs writing for wellbeing workshop for both tike and adults .
Sonya shares her love of herbs , her journeying from publishing to writing as a freelancer and her experience of leave her much - roll in the hay garden after a move .
What Are Your Earliest Memories Of Gardening?
“ I develop up in the settlement of Stanley , in the Rhubarb Triangle of Wakefield , where we had a humble garden that wrapped around our house on the street corner , ” says Sonya .
“ Me , my sib and booster from around the neighbourhood would pass hours whap succulents into juice , iron out prime from the garden , fields and brownfield building web site at the top of the road , and helping our parents plant up our rockery and footling beds .
“ Gardening was actively encourage from puerility , plus we were relatively free to swan the surrounding countryside as fry of the seventies – thus a love of nature and plants was instill from a young age .
Image taken of The Hepworth Garden
“ After moving to a different house in the early 1980s , I was give my own little patch of garden and planted bulbs and other specimens snarf from my mama ’s beds , helped dad pout the lawn and grow a passion for make miniature gardens for the local bloom show .
“ I finally left Wakefield for Art College in Liverpool , carry my making love of plants and flowers into creative and professional pursuance in pattern and writing . ”
From This, What Led You To Garden Writing?
“ I wanted to study Art and write at university , but the option was n’t there at the meter , so I opted for a Multimedia stage in Textiles and Fashion at Liverpool John Moore ’s University , ” she shares .
“ Printed and woven textile have long been inspire by nature , so I was in my element research artist and technique that borrowed from the botanical humans .
“ I moved to Think Publishing in 2005 , which specialised in nature and the surroundings , where I worked across books , magazines , websites , and with clients including the RHS , The Royal Parks , The Wildlife Trusts , Greenpeace , Butterfly Conservation , GreenSpace and the Ramblers Association .
Image taken of The Hepworth Garden
“ I left to go free-lance in 2006 and have aimed to keep the focus of my study on nature ever since , hold a exquisite pastime in both the written and visual quality of my production .
“ Over 17 years later , I have written , redact , and commission numerous Book and articles .
“ Whether writing and edit feature or books , teaching gardening , design planting combinations or making nature - inspired art , finding an inhale tale is always world-class in my mind . ”
What Does A Typical Working Day Look Like For You?
“ I ’m freelance so I broadly speaking work from home . If I ’m working on a al-Qur’an , I could be writing a synopsis , two-dimensional planning , pose out chapters , or in reality write or redaction content .
“ If I ’m bring on something for a magazine or paper , it might involve writing pitch , creating the fabric for an article or produce transcript and caption .
“ I ’ve stayed relatively close to place while my kids were unseasoned , and the lockdown years were sequestrate for all touch on , so I ’m enjoying getting out and about more , doing in the field or in - person research on - web site in gardens or other botanical space of interest group .
“ I particularly enjoyed drop a line an article about a garden project by Miria Harris , which involve visiting the garden and interview both designer and client before creating copy that would also complement Rae Warne ’s beautiful images .
“ I would ordinarily also try and fit some actual gardening in , but had to allow my garden of 15 years when I displace in March .
“ Developing the local school garden into an inspiring outdoor learning zona has given me the blank to continue trialling new plants and ideas and I now influence there one daytime a workweek , teach the children and their teachers and carers how to garden and think creatively .
“ I ’m forever bringing in gardening book and magazines from my program library and hopefully am urge a new generation of gardener , writers , and artists within an education system that often does n’t tie the dots . ”
“ The Heritage Herbal , published by British Library Publications in 2020 , is my favourite author book , ” say Sonya .
“ I spent such a huge amount of time amply absorb in the account of herbals and herbs , then writing and examination formula , remedies and originative projects with which to nourish , heal and trend in modern time .
“ My kitchen is full of herbs , jars , crude oil , pedestal and various clay sculpture and other equipment with which to prepare culinary , beautifying and home - styling preparations .
“ In fact , I ’m presently just build up an area for them all in my new kitchen after moving star sign in March .
“ I alsocreated a herb gardenin my sure-enough house relating to the 50 heritage herbs in the Word of God include beautiful apothecary rose wine , sweet cicely , chervil andangelica . Some herb I brought with , others have had to outride , but I ’m now diagram a new potager - style patch in my unexampled backyard that can also officiate as a herbal educational activity and residential district garden .
“ herbaceous plant are belike my self-aggrandizing warmth in the works world as they all have a welfare and a backstory , often spanning yard of age and many continents . ”
What Is Your Favourite Thing About Your Career?
“ I often joke that I write about plants because it set aside me to write about perfectly everything ! ” she laughs .
“ In fact , this is perfectly true given that everything that we interact with in this reality has some kind of connection to nature , whether that ’s through bare-assed materials , an gist on our skunk , an inspiration , food , or more obvious translations such as garden .
“ I have it off doing a deep dive on a national such as a herb , type of horticulture technique , person or place , looking closer at the story within and the minutia to trash out again to the handsome picture and create perspective . ”
Sum Up Your Relationship With Gardening In Just 3 Words.
“ Nature , connection and wellbeing . ”
Do You Have Any Advice For Those Wanting To Get Into The Industry?
“ I would recommend get some kind of breeding , whether that ’s an RHS reservation such as Level 2 or degree 3 in Horticulture , a Garden Design Diploma or custody - on experience as a gardening apprentice , ” recommends Sonya .
“ You then have authority in terms of knowledge and skills , options in terms of applying for jobs and will hopefully educate a internet of good contact as you see .
“ From a publishing perspective , I ’d say most authors these day are train in some form or another or are very present on social media through engross reels and video content .
“ Neither horticulture nor composition is as well pay as it should be , so in the lag , the more chance you give yourself , the better !
“ It ’s still deserving it though and judging by the number of people segue into gardening from other higher - pay jobs , has a essay level of job atonement due to its associations with improved welfare and purposefulness .
“ I have n’t assemble anyone in this field who does n’t be intimate what they do . ”
What’s Next For You?
“ I ’m just starting work on a new Word about how to leave a garden , ” she says .
“ This is base on my own recent experience of stimulate to inadvertently leave my garden , having tended it for 15 years . I ’m presently interview other masses about their experiences or retention of leaving a wanted space and delving into upshot around ownership , placemaking and impermanence .
“ I ’m also incline articles to magazines and newspapers and am particularly interested in gardens that interweave herbs into their thick or are create by herbal practician , artists , or ethnic gardeners – infinite of multi - sensory beauty and utility . ”
If you have any stories about your experiences of leave a garden that you would like to share , you’re able to get in touch with Sonya via her website .
