Joanna Kossak - Manoj Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show.


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Soon he’ll be sharing his passion for using colour in garden design and his top tips for attracting wi ldl i fe when he takes to the stage of the Garden Theatre at the Malvern Autumn Show, at which he’ll be appearing on the Saturday.


I t will be his fi r st time at the Three Counties


Showground and he’s look ing forward to exper iencing all the event has to of fer and, if time permits, even stock ing up on colour ful spr ing bulbs.


And i f the weather remains true to the Autumn Show custom of being warm and sunny, he’s look ing forward to cutting a dash in a beauti ful shi rt decorated with multi-coloured cross stitching, which he says will keep him cool and ensure he’s not missed.


“I’ve already worn it a couple times and people have come up to me and said ‘I love your shirt, where did you get it from?’ It came from a little boutique in Crete and was a present from Clive.


“I’m looking forward to meeting people at the show; I’m very much a people person and love talking about gardens and ideas. A lot of people ask me about colour, and colour combinations, and many simply come and ask for a selfie, which I’m delighted to do.”


Manoj worked in the fashion industry for 18 year s, during which he honed a love of colour that stemmed f rom his chi ldhood in Kenya and Indian her i tage. His family moved to the UK in the 1970s.


“I remember being asked once where my love of colour came from and at the time I couldn’t put my finger on it; the lightbulb moment came when I opened my mum’s wardrobe one day and all of her beautiful coloured saris were hanging there. It’s part of my heritage and as a child I was surrounded by colour, with the


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wonderfully colourful tribes and flora and fauna of Kenya. It’s in my DNA.


“Put simply, I love using colour. It’s something that makes a garden joyful and with everything that the world is going through at the moment, people need joy. As garden designers we have the ability to lift people up.


“Colour doesn’t just come from the plants we grow but from boundaries, such as fences, and soft furnishings, all things that remain in place throughout the year.”


For those wishing to follow Manoj ’s example, he says the star ting point for determining the best hues is to pick a theme.


“Are there brilliant artists whose work you love, or has there been a beautiful holiday that sticks in the mind? Are you inspired by a particular culture or tradition?”


Once a combination of colours has been selected, he recommends creating separate colour panels on pieces of wood and simply placing them in the garden in dif ferent spots for a few week s or months to determine what they’re like to live with.


“I think that in the UK, a lot of people are frightened of colour and how to use it.


“There seems to be more of a confidence in using colour indoors than outside, and I can understand that.


“To me, the key is to see colour in different lights as it changes depending on the time of year.


“In spring the trees come into leaf, creating shade that has an effect on colour, and plants grow and flower and then die back.


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