Botanist | Broadcaster | Best-Selling Author
James is a professional plant geek, broadcaster and best-selling author based in London. He shares his tiny flat with over 500 houseplants, and is constantly developing new, escapist terrarium and aquascape creations that he shares via his Instagram.
Trained at the prestigious Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, James achieved an MSc in Ethnobotany, graduating with distinction. He has pursued research into underutilised crop species, ethnopharmacology and traditional food systems through field work in rural Ecuador, Java and Southern China.
James became the youngest ever RHS medal winner at the Hampton Court Palace Show in 2004, and has won several more since, including two gold medals for his garden designs at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
James has written 6 best-selling books on plant use, gardening and food, including Homegrown Revolution, the fastest-selling gardening book in UK history. He also writes regular columns in both the Observer and New Scientist.
His media career began with the breakaway hit series Grow Your Own Drugs, and James has since presented various science, food, gardening and nature shows for the BBC, Channel News Asia and Netflix. James is also a regular panelist on Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.
James is an Ambassador for both Kew Gardens and the Liz Earle natural skincare company, the latter for which he travels the world in search of groundbreaking new botanical ingredients, as their resident Ethnobotanist.
