Nigel Slater columnist for Gardens Illustrated

Cook, writer and passionate gardener Nigel Slater joins the Gardens Illustrated (GI) team as their new columnist.

Slater will be writing a monthly column about his year in the garden, beginning with spring seed sowing and the wonder of being able to grow plants.

According to GI, over the year, Slater will be sharing his personal insights into all that he enjoys in his urban, walled garden which often appears on his own Instagram feed.

Slater moved into his house in 1999, when he inherited an uncultivated garden, with just a lawn which ran the entire length of the space. Since, he has coaxed the garden into an enviably beautiful, private space, filled with topiary, edibles, roses, perennials and trees.

With a guiding hand from none other than Monty Don, Slater’s garden was designed to feature a set of distinct areas to make the garden seem a much bigger space. Dan Pearson has also made his mark on the garden by helping Slater to manage the urban fox problem. Pearson devised a wilder woodland garden, presumably to ensure any fox damage is less visible than it would be in the more formal designed setting.

The first column will appear in the March issue of the magazine, which is on sale from tomorrow.