North One Staff

Beryl

 Ten years ago, as a keen gardener I couldn't find a garden centre I wholeheartedly enjoyed visiting.

Nowhere in North London, it seemed, was there a centre of excellence where staff were friendly, genuinely helpful and well-informed - a place with interesting, unusual, reasonably priced plants of the highest quality and an efficient plant ordering service.

Didn't other keen gardeners need what I needed? Well, it seemed they did and, after spending over a year looking for a suitable site, North One Garden Centre was born.

I've been a keen gardener since I was five years old and trained in horticulture at Capel Manor, where I did an RHS course. Before opening the garden centre I did a wide range of jobs in publishing advertising, marketing and teaching.

Paul

Paul's horticultural career began at fourteen when he worked on a farm harvesting pumpkins. His interest in gardening developed and he was lucky enough to acquire an allotment at the tender age of fifteen. He worked at a garden centre for two years where he received a broad training in horticulture. With the Garden centre experience behind him he undertook a National Diploma at Writtle College in Amenity Horticulture and passed with distinction.

After graduating Paul became the manager of a nursery specializing in importing and growing tender conservatory plants. On the basis of his acquired knowledge of 'exotic' plants Paul went on to set up and run his own business supplying and maintaining house - conservatory plants for private clients. His business flourished and his clientele ranged from owning large Manor houses to exclusive residences in Knightsbridge.

Over the years Paul has married his love of exotic plants with a flare for colour and design to develop a unique style. He takes his inspiration from fashion and lifestyle trend forecasts when selecting products for the garden centre. His display work is both inspiring and original, climaxing with his fabulous Christmas ensemble.

Group photo

Louise

Louise  was born in Devon, moved with her family to Hackney aged three where she attended school till she was sixteen. She did four A-Levels at Islington Sixth Form Centre including Art, History, Biology and English Literature. She took a gap year and did an Art Foundation at Middlesex University. After that she went to Cambridge University to read Social Anthropology and obtained a 2.1. Upon graduating she worked for Exodus helping to run camping safaris in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Louise then worked as a volunteer with the South African Government in the Department of Safety and Security helping with policy research and development. 

She returned to England and held three jobs and was also volunteering at an environmental centre: she was a Solicitor’s Clerk, an Environmental Education Teacher as well as doing garden maintenance for friends and family. The gardening work quickly took off and soon the garden work was so successful, Louise decided to make gardening her full-time career. She worked for two and a half years as a cycling gardener for residents in Hackney and Islington and it was during this period that Louise met Beryl Henderson whilst buying plants at North One Garden Centre.

Beryl asked Louise to help out once a week at the Garden Centre and within a year and a half she was working full time as North One’s Plant Area Manager. She worked in this position for four years until 2007 when she left for a year to join her partner living and working in Australia. Upon returning to the UK she started a one day a week course in garden design at Capel Manor and resumed working four days a week at North One in her previous capacity as Plant Area Manager.