After twenty-five years of teaching in a secondary school, during which time a passion for plants and gardening kept her sane, Mary became Education Officer at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, where she organised and taught school groups and managed educational events for adults. 

She achieved a horticultural qualification at Writtle College and since retiring from her full time job, does freelance work, mostly for the RHS. 

A recent move to Suffolk, to a much larger garden, offers new and exciting gardening challenges.