Dawn Isaac, award-winning garden designer, writer and horticultural advisor on children’s television, tells us all about her gardening style, habits and practices, and why she would like to hire Sherlock Holmes.

Describe your garden/gardening style
Family-friendly meets shabby chic.

Which garden has had the greatest impact on you?
My first garden. Within 12 months it had inspired me to complete an RHS course, quit my job in PR and sign up to study garden design.

Your lucky break?
The producer for Mr Bloom’s Nursery coming across my blog and inviting me to act as horticultural consultant for the show.

Guilty gardening pleasure?
Spring bulbs. I buy more each year despite the fact I ran out of space some time ago. And every time I try to find a spot to plant a new one, I dig up three already there.

Which tool couldn’t you be without?
My thermal wellies for winter – gardening with cold toes is just plain wrong.

Who or what makes you laugh?
Pretty much anything Caitlin Moran writes.

Favourite book?
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

Most unusual thing you’ve found in your garden?
An owl. Or to be more specific, a dead owl, buried feet up beneath bulbs in one of my pots. If Sherlock Holmes wasn’t a fictional character I would have enlisted his help long ago to discover who, how and WHY?

Flowers or veg?
Edible flowers (see what I did there?!).

When you’re in your garden, what do you spend most of your time doing?
Chasing after children. Just my own you understand – this isn’t a new sport.

Life motto?
If you’re not having fun, you’re just doing it wrong.

If you fancy hearing more from Dawn, then come along to the fair where she will be leading our kids’ workshops on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June.