Hi - I'm Chrissie Harten. I've loved plants for as long as I can remember - in fact one of my earliest memories is of hiding at the back of the border in my father's garden, with delphiniums, lupins, phlox and all manner of other plants towering above my head, and loving it! It was inevitable, then, that I would eventually become the gardener that I am today.....

Gardening is my passion, and I think I might easily be described as a plantaholic, (if there is such a word), as I find it almost impossible to resist a plant I haven't got. My favourite plants are grasses, Hostas, Heucheras, ferns and ivies. I've got quite a collection of these in the garden. They are all invaluable in floral art to give form and texture to arrangements. The picture to the left is me at the Chelsea Flower Show, and I'm standing by the wonderful exhibit staged by the Barbados Horticultural Society. (The picture was taken by my friend Deanne Clarke, who is a member of the Barbados Horticultural Society and helped to stage the exhibit - thanks Deanne!)

When I'm not in the garden, I love to arrange flowers, and taught the subject for many years. I'm a passionate photographer, specialising in flowers, plants, gardens and floral art, and I also write articles on gardening or flower arranging for various publications, as well as photographing various plants, flowers and floral designs at shows and exhibitions for publication in magazines and books.

I'm very involved with NAFAS, the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies, and I'm currently the e-Media officer for the Three Counties and South Wales Area of NAFAS, and maintain their Facebook page, and I'm also the Chairman of the NAFAS National Photography Committee - see their Facebook page. For many years, I've been a member of Bromsgrove and District Flower Arrangement Society, which is affiliated to NAFAS. I built and maintain their website, and also maintain their Facebook page. If you've never been to your local flower arrangement society, I recommend that you go. The address will probably be in your local library, or you can contact NAFAS for the address of your nearest club. You will meet some lovely people, make new friends, and spend many happy afternoons or evenings being entertained by talented floral art demonstrators, all for the price of a few pounds a month! Better still, get yourself on the Committee - willing hands are always needed, and it's great fun too!