Frances Tophill

Frances Ruth Tophill (born 1989) is a British horticulturist, conservationist, author, and television presenter, famous in the UK as one of the co-presenters on Love Your Garden and Gardeners' World. In 2022 BBC Gardeners' World Live awarded her a platinum medal for 'Best Show Garden'.

Quotes

The key consideration when using really small containers is the planting, because you need to choose species that can cope with having their roots so restricted. The soil in a small container also tends to dry out and lose its nutrients quicker than that in a large one. So unless you have a lot of time and love to give to your containers, it's worth choosing fairly low-maintenance plants that can cope with dry, nutrient-poor, small spaces, or plants that are extremely slow grown. Plants such as Pelargoniums, sedums and other succulents, Erigeron and other wild daisies and even many herbs such as lavender, thyme and rosemary can cope with slightly drier, nutrient-poor conditions and, dare I say, neglect from us growers!
- "SMALL CONTAINERS". The Container Gardener. Octopus Books. 2018. ISBN 9780857835994. (160 pages) (1st edition 2017)

Hawthorn, or mayflower (Crataegus monogyna), is a lovely plant that provides so very much in the garden or in a hedgerow, offering a safe haven and bountiful feast for nesting birds and pollinators. It's also an incredibly useful plant for us. The edible spring leaves are great in salads, and the autumn berries, or haws, can be used in lots of dishes and drinks.
- "Hawthorn jelly". The Modern Gardener: A practical guide to gardening creatively, productively and sustainably. Octopus Books. 2022. ISBN 9781914239342. (192 pages)

... I had a very traditional start – as an apprentice at 19, my job was to pick up dog poo and make the head gardener tea. Then at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh I learned about conservation, community gardening and ethnobotany. Slowly, cogs move and you end up miles away from where you began, without really noticing that it’s happened.
... After school I worked at Marks & Spencer and did a foundation degree in art. Then a gardening apprenticeship came up and I made a snap decision. I walked around the garden with the head gardener and just thought, oh, this is amazing, I want to work here. I realised I like being in soil and muddy and the creativity that doesn’t involve sitting at a desk.
- as quoted by Veronica Peerless in: (June 20, 2024) "‘No One Ever Said Gardening Was A Job Option’ - Frances Tophill On Finding Her Way (interview concerning her book A Year in a Small Garden: Creating a Beautiful Garden in Any Space)". Gardens Illustrated (www.gardensillustrated.com).

Frances is one of the main team of Gardeners' World presenters, alongside Monty Don. She has written several books and is a familiar face at garden and literary festivals. The publication of her first children’s book, How to Grow a Garden, and her forthcoming appearance as a guest speaker at Toby’s Garden Festival in May is why I’m calling her today.
How to Grow a Garden is a colourful, hardback book which takes young readers on a journey through different gardens, from veg plots to hedgerows and meadows, water gardens, woodland and various exotic gardens. Each garden is beautifully illustrated by Charlotte Ager and is packed with vibrant and fun plants, animals and insects. Throughout, Frances has added little descriptions and facts and each garden has a seasonal to-do list of inspiring and creative ideas for children (which adults will certainly enjoy doing as well).
- Catherine Courtenay, (2025) . "Garden presenter Frances Tophill on Toby’s Garden Festival". Devon Life Magazine.