This week's HortWeek Podcast guest, TV presenter and garden designer Mark Lane, started gardening young although he initially studied art history and worked in publishing for RIBA and Thames & Hudson.

After a car crash in 2000, a horticultural therapist and his husband suggested a new horticulture career as a designer and in the media. 

His new book, The Future of Gardens, published this May, is part of a series of imaginative future visions on a wide range of subjects, written by experts, academics, journalists and leading pop-culture figures. For his installment, Mark takes a "positive look at gardening with regards to the future of gardens. And of course, it has to cover everything from the climate crisis to being, you know, an adaptable and resilient gardener.

He sees AI as limited to "being a great assistant. I don't think it will take over with regards to gardening or garden design" but with great potential to help with plant selection and speed up processes.

With an eye on climate resilience, Mark has been exploring and implementing xeriscaping concepts into his garden:

"By having a mixture and increasing that biodiversity of plants you're...more likely to have a garden that's going to flourish because while some will do well when it's really hot, others will do better when it's a bit wetter and a bit warmer."

His book considers permaculture, regenerative agriculture and biophilia in the context of a broad definition of "Horticulture with a capital 'H'" that includes "floristry, agriculture, the perfume industry, anything you could possibly think of when it comes to plants." 

He reveals how apps and a drone means he is "able to go around areas in gardens, especially large gardens where I can't get my wheelchair, so I can still have my eyes and I can still go and see those places. So it's about again using this sort of future tech, which a lot of it is already here."

Mark and Matt discuss the ultimate in futuristic horticulture, growing in space, which Mark says, is not just a matter of overcoming a technical challenge and the benefits of eating fresh produce:

"[Astronauts are] going to be away for a long period of time and being able to undertake a task such as gardening reconnects them to Earth. So it actually reconnects them back to where they came from and that's really going to be very important for their for their mindset more than anything else.

As a wheelchair user, Mark shares his perspective on how landowners can and should make access to parks, gardens and the countryside easier for all:

He adds: " I do strongly believe that it doesn't matter whether you have a physical impairment or not, you can enjoy gardening. And you just have to really think a little bit outside the box. You have to be very, very honest with yourself and sort of assess yourself and see what it is that you can and you cannot do...and then try and adapt your gardening because of that."

And as an owner of dogs, Mark gives us his take on the controversial topic of dogs, gardens and garden centres.

Finally he gives an update on his plans with his ongoing presence on Morning Live keeping him busy, appearances at flower shows such as RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival, another book due "on cost-wise gardening" to come out in May 2026, as well as his garden design practice.

"I'm still designing the gardens, but I'm now having to limit the number of gardens that I do...here I used to do on average between 8 or 10 projects a year, I now do anywhere between 2 and 3, just because I just don't really have the time now, because I'm just constantly doing stuff."

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.