My green fingers have typed a bestselling book about houseplants, founded an online plant publication and won a nature writing scholarship with the British Council.
Extracts
1. The Nature of London - These are tales for anyone who lives beyond the bluebell woods, in paved fields with concrete skies. Where sleepers shield their eyes from bright nights, and yet never see the stars. Here the rat king roams and pot plants dream of tropical homes. Here grows the city’s nature, of a nature unknown..
2. The Fatberg - Under your house, under your bed, under your street, it lies. Lurking in the sewers. A man-made monster of congealed fat with used wet wipes, Tampons and nappies wedged in its crevices. A composting coral-like creature lying in the juice of a thousand bins. Or a massive melted mars bar, depending on your appetite. As we grow above, it grows below. Feeding off fats and oils poured down our drains. Sundays are its favourite day, all that gravy, oozing. Some people have tried making traps in their sink - pouring the fat into the bin instead of the monster's belly. But that won’t stop it. The loo is where it gets its goodies.
‘Send in the Flushers’ cried the council. The Flushers unblock the sewers. It’s a family business handed down through the generations. But no generation has ever seen this before. Larger than the Tower of London, longer than two Wembley Stadiums. Two. They couldn’t see the end. So they sent a camera instead. Somebody posted the footage online. The Internet gagged. The council gave the Flushers special suits, but they didn’t cover their noses. So they held their breath. And down they went. Looming out of the darkness, wet wipes peeped out, trapped like flies in the fats web. Strings of congealed oil falling down like stalactites, dripping. They hacked it with shovels and hosed it with jets. Fatty fatty Fatberg, Fatty fatty Fatberg, they cried. Three weeks later, they were still crying.
3. Extract from How Not to Kill Your Plants -
Cactus: I like to think of myself as a cactus collector, hunting for different textures, colours, shapes and sizes - the wonkier the better. Despite their spiky exteriors, cacti are seriously laid back. The majority of cacti grow in the desert (desert cacti) with bright sunshine, high temperatures and dry air. There are some species that grow in rainforests (forest cacti) that need shade and humidity. A general rule of pricked thumb is that forest cacti can be recognised by their flat, trailing leaves, so when it comes to looking after your cacti, make sure you do your research. We’re concentrating on the desert variety, so sunscreen on, we’re going in.
Back To The Roots: In the desert, cacti sometimes have to wait years for their next drink, so whatever you do - don’t over water. Most cacti are happy with a good drink every once in a while and never re-water until the compost is completely dry. My advice is to get to know your cactus: when cacti are watered their bodies swell and they become firmer to touch. Lift the plant to see how heavy it is - if the pot feels lighter than usual, top it up. They like well draining soil that keeps their roots dry so potting soil just ‘ain't gonna cut it. Opt for cacti soil instead. Give them as much sunshine as possible but watch direct sunlight in summer because the sun’s rays can magnify the glass and cook your cacti! They are happy with average heat in the day and cool nights. Deserts tend to be dry with low levels of humidity so lose the mister.
4. Words from Grace & Thorn’s plant publication, THE CUT - founded by yours truely.
1. The Nature of London - These are tales for anyone who lives beyond the bluebell woods, in paved fields with concrete skies. Where sleepers shield their eyes from bright nights, and yet never see the stars. Here the rat king roams and pot plants dream of tropical homes. Here grows the city’s nature, of a nature unknown..
2. The Fatberg - Under your house, under your bed, under your street, it lies. Lurking in the sewers. A man-made monster of congealed fat with used wet wipes, Tampons and nappies wedged in its crevices. A composting coral-like creature lying in the juice of a thousand bins. Or a massive melted mars bar, depending on your appetite. As we grow above, it grows below. Feeding off fats and oils poured down our drains. Sundays are its favourite day, all that gravy, oozing. Some people have tried making traps in their sink - pouring the fat into the bin instead of the monster's belly. But that won’t stop it. The loo is where it gets its goodies.
‘Send in the Flushers’ cried the council. The Flushers unblock the sewers. It’s a family business handed down through the generations. But no generation has ever seen this before. Larger than the Tower of London, longer than two Wembley Stadiums. Two. They couldn’t see the end. So they sent a camera instead. Somebody posted the footage online. The Internet gagged. The council gave the Flushers special suits, but they didn’t cover their noses. So they held their breath. And down they went. Looming out of the darkness, wet wipes peeped out, trapped like flies in the fats web. Strings of congealed oil falling down like stalactites, dripping. They hacked it with shovels and hosed it with jets. Fatty fatty Fatberg, Fatty fatty Fatberg, they cried. Three weeks later, they were still crying.
3. Extract from How Not to Kill Your Plants -
Cactus: I like to think of myself as a cactus collector, hunting for different textures, colours, shapes and sizes - the wonkier the better. Despite their spiky exteriors, cacti are seriously laid back. The majority of cacti grow in the desert (desert cacti) with bright sunshine, high temperatures and dry air. There are some species that grow in rainforests (forest cacti) that need shade and humidity. A general rule of pricked thumb is that forest cacti can be recognised by their flat, trailing leaves, so when it comes to looking after your cacti, make sure you do your research. We’re concentrating on the desert variety, so sunscreen on, we’re going in.
Back To The Roots: In the desert, cacti sometimes have to wait years for their next drink, so whatever you do - don’t over water. Most cacti are happy with a good drink every once in a while and never re-water until the compost is completely dry. My advice is to get to know your cactus: when cacti are watered their bodies swell and they become firmer to touch. Lift the plant to see how heavy it is - if the pot feels lighter than usual, top it up. They like well draining soil that keeps their roots dry so potting soil just ‘ain't gonna cut it. Opt for cacti soil instead. Give them as much sunshine as possible but watch direct sunlight in summer because the sun’s rays can magnify the glass and cook your cacti! They are happy with average heat in the day and cool nights. Deserts tend to be dry with low levels of humidity so lose the mister.
4. Words from Grace & Thorn’s plant publication, THE CUT - founded by yours truely.
Recommendations
“Katie has wonderful imaginative flair and the ideas to pull it off...” ~ Derek Niemann, Nature Writer
“Katie has wonderful imaginative flair and the ideas to pull it off...” ~ Derek Niemann, Nature Writer