Rosie started gardening after horticultural training and has worked in all sized gardens with different soil structures and aspects – north, south, east and west facing gardens. In 1996 she joined the Helmsley Walled Garden and formed the first board of directors. She helped change the Walled Garden from a commercial business to a charity and created the first volunteer group, which lasts to this day. She has also trained in conservation techniques such as drystone walling and hedge-laying and continues to have a special interest in encouraging native flora and fauna.

Rosie trained as a designer at RHS Harlow Carr in 1988 and later obtained her Garden Design HND with distinction at Bishop Burton. Since then, she has combined her love of plants with her design abilities and worked on over three hundred projects.

Helmsley Walled Garden was one of the first projects, creating a Rainbow Border along the central axis. Pruning the initial peach and plum into fan espaliers along the walls and helping create the peony garden. As well as designing and planting the James Herriot Museum garden, Rosie has worked on Millennium Gardens and school grounds.  Projects range from urban courtyards to country estates, moorland gardens to new builds. In addition, she has worked on ethnic projects such as Moroccan and Persian courtyards and has created scented tranquil areas for pubs and B&B’s. She has a special resonance with healing and spiritual gardens and has been involved in several gardens in memoranda and for those with terminal illness and disability.  Encouraging wildlife is another interest, using wildflower meadows, hedgerows and native species.

Rosie enjoys the variety and challenges of her work and believes that the garden must not only reflect the individual needs and tastes of the client, but also reflect the ‘loci genius’ or spirit of the place. Ultimately, the garden can be a special sanctuary in a busy world and each space within a garden can have its own atmosphere and character, providing a place of harmony.