Philip Oostenbrink

Philip Oostenbrink began gardening at the age of 4 in his father's allotment and grandmother's garden. The jungle plant obsession took hold after a trip to Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. After teaching horticulture at a secondary school for 8 years, Philip moved to Kent first as Deputy Head Gardener at Hadlow College and then as Head Gardener at Canterbury Cathedral. He is now Head Gardener at Walmer Castle where one of his first projects has been to plant a jungle garden in the moat. He leads...See more

Philip Oostenbrink began gardening at the age of 4 in his father's allotment and grandmother's garden. The jungle plant obsession took hold after a trip to Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. After teaching horticulture at a secondary school for 8 years, Philip moved to Kent first as Deputy Head Gardener at Hadlow College and then as Head Gardener at Canterbury Cathedral. He is now Head Gardener at Walmer Castle where one of his first projects has been to plant a jungle garden in the moat. He leads tours of the garden and has written for RHS The Garden and The Professional Gardeners' Guild magazines. Philip holds 4 National Collections and in 2019 he and his garden featured on BBC Gardener's World. He is a regular garden expert on a BBC Radio Kent lifestyle programme. See less