Michael Perry is an English celebrity gardener and podcast presenter. He presents a show, Michael Perry’s Garden, on QVC UK, and has appeared on ITV1’s This Morning and Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch.

Perry maintains a horticultural blog and co-presents The Plant Based Podcast.[1] He is a regular speaker at RHS flower shows, horticultural summits[2] and BBC Gardener's World Live[3] as well as presenting his Weird & Wacky Plants Tour showcasing unusual plants.[4] In 2015, he was listed in The Sunday Times’ Top 20 Most Influential People in the Gardening World.[5]

Education and early career

Perry enjoyed a career as a new product development manager at Thompson & Morgan, where he was credited for developing the 'egg and chips' plant, a grafted plant that produces aubergines and potatoes.[6]

Media work

Some of Perry’s first television appearances included The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Loose Women and Great British Garden Revival.[7] More recently, Perry has been an occasional gardening guest on ITV’s This Morning[8] and Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch[9].

In 2010, Perry began presenting gardening products on QVC.[10] He later became a regular gardening expert on the channel. He presents Michael Perry’s Garden, with his own curated range of products and editorial.[11]

Perry co-presents The Plant Based Podcast with Ellen Mary, a gardening influencer.[12]

In 2022, Perry hosted a 'plant dating' pop-up at the Lucky Club Mayfair, in collaboration with The Joy of Plants. Attendees were given the chance to find a houseplant that matched their lifestyle, before taking it home.[13]

Awards

The website Mr Plant Geek was awarded a Gold Award at the 2019 and 2022 GardenComm horticultural press awards.[14][15] The Garden Media Guild named Perry as Social Media Influencer of the Year in 2020.[16]

Charity work

Perry regularly participates in charity work, including his annual appearances in a nude calendar for the benefit of charity Perennial, with a fundraising team named The Grubby Gardeners.[17] In his local area of East Anglia, he has worked with the charity ActivLives to renew flower beds in urban areas.[18] He champions gardening for mental health and wellbeing,[19]

Writing career

In 2022, Perry published his debut book Hortus Curious under publisher DK.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "How to choose the best gardening podcast for you this winter as interest blooms". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  2. ↑ ""'Digital' is a Life Attitude" - AIPH World Ornamental Horticulture Summit". Perishable News. 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  3. ↑ "Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek)". BBC Gardeners' World Live 2021. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  4. ↑ "TV gardening expert Christine Walkden joins the Southport Flower Show lineup". The Guide Liverpool. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  5. ↑ "My place in The Sunday Times Top 20 of most influential Horts in the UK". Michael Perry - Mr Plant Geek. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  6. ↑ Mortimer, Lynne (2019-05-08). "Thompson & Morgan launches 'egg and chips' plant | East Anglian Daily Times". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Profile of Michael Perry | Garden Media Guild". www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  8. ↑ "The top houseplant trends for a happy, healthy home!". ITV. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  9. ↑ "Steph's Packed Lunch Season 2021". Radio Times. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  10. ↑ "15 mins with… Michael Perry AKA Mr Plant Geek". Christchurch Creative. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  11. ↑ "Richard Jackson to develop plant range as Michael Perry takes over at QVC". www.hortweek.com. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  12. ↑ "Gardening: Discover the best virtual gardens, podcasts and expert advice". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  13. ↑ Bateman, Charlotte (2022-10-12). "Londoners are so obsessed with houseplants there's now a 'matchmaking' service". MyLondon. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  14. ↑ "2019 GardenComm Media Awards Gold Medal Winners". gardencomm.org. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  15. ↑ "GardenComm | Honors & Awards | Media Awards | Past Winners". gardencomm.org. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  16. ↑ "GMG Awards 2020 Winners | Garden Media Guild". www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  17. ↑ "Gardeners get naked - for charity". the Guardian. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  18. ↑ Papworth, Andrew (2019-05-16). "Unloved parts of Ipswich transformed by 'plant geek'". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  19. ↑ Mortimer, Lynne (2019-05-08). "Garden Day ambassor is Ipswich-born Plant Geek Michael Perry". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  20. ↑ "Ipswich Plant Geek shares new book of world's most badly behaved plants". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
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