How the TV cameras went wild for a fresh face of horticulture

Chris Berry speaks to Chris Myers about his Yorkshire background and loves, as the garden designer hits our TV screens.
Chris MyersChris Myers
Chris Myers

Blond tousled hair, rugged good looks and a Yorkshire accent were the three elements that have brought Sutton-in-Craven born Chris Myers to our TV screens presenting Channel 4’s new nature programme Wild Things on Monday evenings. It all came out of the blue.

“I appeared on television for about 15 seconds when I was being interviewed at Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC in 2011. Afterwards a guy who was making a pilot for C4 said he loved my Yorkshire accent and blond hair, he didn’t say anything about my looks, and asked if I’d do a screen test.

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“The production company, called Cwmni Da from Wales, came up to see me and I talked about nettles. I quite like nettles actually. They’re good for butterflies as they do have a flower, which is quite nondescript but the butterflies thrive on it. I also love the fact that you can eat nettles and make tea out of them.”

That’s one of the programme’s main assets, providing information and education on anything that grows from grasses to flora, fauna and any plant.

“There has been a massive change for all plants in the past 50 years and some have moved quite dramatically from one place to another. Because we as humans are the dominant species we go around doing what we want to suit ourselves and survive. That has altered where plants live too.”

That doesn’t mean that Chris’ programme is critical of the way in which farming or indeed construction is conducted. “We have to farm in order to survive as a nation. I’m married to a farmer’s daughter and work on the farm quite a bit when it’s busy, so I know that farmers have to make the best of livestock and crops. What is happening is that plants are moving out of some places, such as farmland, housing and industrial estates and they are finding new places to grow.

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“That’s one of the many aspects we’re covering and it’s really interesting. In last week’s programme we went to see Danish Scurvy grass growing in what is its natural environment clinging to the edge of cliffs at the seaside. It thrives there because although it only has tiny pockets of soil it enjoys the salt.

“On the cliffs there are only a small number of niches where it can grow. Yet we have created the biggest niche you could ever imagine for them by creating central reservations and roadside verges on motorways and main roads. Because of the grit we put on roads at winter and the concentration of salt and soil Danish Scurvy grass now grows and thrives here.”

Chris’s career has included incredible successes at major events, creating award-winning gardens on behalf of multi-national companies.

He studied horticulture and amenities at Askham Bryan College; went on to be greenkeeper at Keighley Golf Club; assistant head gardener at Bolton Abbey Estate; and worked for other estates at Bilton in Ainsty, Gargrave and Ilkley. Gargrave will always hold a special place in his heart as this beautiful Dales village is where his own garden design business and all of his show success started.

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“I was asked whether I would get involved in a community project to build a garden to be exhibited at Gardeners’ World at the NEC in Birmingham, about 10 years ago. After a few bottles of wine it seemed I had volunteered myself to design and project manage the garden.

“Me being me, I came up with some fairly grand ideas. Everyone wanted the garden to represent Gargrave so I thought we should build a canal with a bridge over it, and also have lock gates just like we have here at The Anchor Inn. Everyone put so much effort in. I managed to convince some of my college pals that it would make a good busman’s holiday and we got some reclaimed lock gates out of a waterways yard in Birmingham.”

Wild Things is on Channel 4 on Monday at 8.30pm.

From prizes to appearances

Chris Myers has won a gold medal and best garden prize. He has been commissioned to build original gardens for Yorkshire Forward, BT and a Swiss herbal sweets company. He now runs his own garden design business. He’s not getting carried away with TV fame, though comparisons with Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty have already been made. He just wants to be himself and let his love of the countryside and plants come through.