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Gardeners' World Mark Lane: 'I probably have close to 100 houseplants, if not more'
As part of our interview series, My Happy Home, gardener Mark Lane talks about his childhood home, his growing collection of more than 100 houseplants and his best home bargain made from reclaimed scaffolding boards.
Mark, a British gardening presenter, landscaper designer and writer, is best known for presenting BBC's Gardeners' World and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on BBC Two. He is the first recognised UK garden designer in a wheelchair, and is also an ambassador for Thrive, the disability charity that uses gardening to positively change lives.
Mark is also the gardening expert on BBC Morning Live and he fronts his own programme, Love Gardening with Mark Lane, on QVC. He is the author of Royal Gardens of the World: 21 Celebrated Gardens from the Alhambra to Highgrove and Beyond.
The garden designer lives with his long-term partner Jasen in Lincolnshire, having recently moved into a new home from Canterbury, Kent.
What makes you happiest at home?
ML: I would say a tidy home. I am a bit of a tidy freak, so definitely that. But also a welcoming home — a place where I can go to escape, relax and get away from everything.
I'm really excited because we're about to get two dogs. The house is going to completely change. I just know that when we get them, it will add that extra little element to making it an even happier home. One dog is a miniature wire-haired Dachshund and the other is a withdrawn dog from the Guide Dogs — a dog who has gone through the training but has had to stop. We've been going mad buying things for them already.
Tell us about your childhood home
ML: I grew up in a place called Hangleton, Hove, just outside of Brighton. It was an apartment, but I was actually very lucky because one side of the apartment overlooked the South Downs and the other overlooked the sea. Growing up, I was spoilt for choice. I could either go down to the beach or into the countryside. I think that's why I loved it so much because the views were incredible. I could just open the back door and be wherever I wanted to be. I could escape.
I've always been a little bit of a loner when it comes to wanting to be outside and walk on my own. There were only 10 apartments in our block and we had a typical communal garden with the odd bit of shrubbery. One day, when I was about six or seven, I asked my mum if we could go and plant something in the flower bed. We went to buy some flowers, probably wallflowers or primroses, and planted them all. And, within a year, every single apartment had their own little bit of garden. I would go outside and start chatting to people – gardening was bringing us all together. We became this group of people who had one place which we all loved. I always have happy memories of my childhood home. It was nice to create that community right from an early stage.
My home also always smelt of roast chicken. My mum was a typical Jewish mother, so she always did roast chicken. She always wanted to feed you no matter what. Friends and family were always popping in, it was a really loving, warm home and I feel very lucky for that.
When you get home, what is the first thing you like to do?
ML: Get undressed out of the clothes I am wearing and get into my 'slobbies', as I like to call them. It's normally a baggy T-shirt and a loose pair of trousers. Then, I always check my phone to make sure there's nothing I have to do in the office. What I really love to do is grab a cup of tea, go out into the garden and just sit there for 10 or 15 minutes while I drink my cuppa. It's a time to unwind and take everything in. It really grounds me.
Which room do you spend most of your time in? How did you decorate this space?
ML: It's tricky because the new house is one large open space. Apart from the office, all the walls are white. We introduce colour through furniture. Over in the living room area, we have a large 12-seater deep blue sofa with big, squishy cushions. It's lovely for curling up.
Then in our TV area, we've got two rows of cinema seats. The dining area flows off from that and then the kitchen is all open plan as well. It's this large open space with a beautiful skylight that goes across the whole length of the property. It lets in natural light which is great for my houseplants. There's a houseplant in every single corner and space you could possibly imagine – there are too many to count. I probably have close to 100 houseplants, if not more.
Everything at home has its place. We don't have a lot of knickknacks, but what we do have on display are things that we've collected over the years. It's always precious pieces that are dotted around.
We didn't have to make too many changes when we moved in. However, in the kitchen, we put down a new granite surface, introduced an induction hob, and replaced the lighting. Most of the walls were painted white, apart from two walls which were a very dark grey colour. We're gradually changing the colour of them. They're still going to be grey but more of a brown-grey, rather than the green-grey it currently is. We sold our old property with all our furniture. When we showed up at this house we literally had to buy everything from scratch, which was fun.
Describe the view outside your bedroom window
ML: We're very lucky because we've got a double-aspect window. The large one is looking out across the garden, which is obviously a blank space. Beyond that is the Lincolnshire Wolds. It's just literally countryside. We've got this beautiful fence called Lincolnshire Fencing; it's so beautiful the way it has been crafted together. Beyond that is fields and cows. We always wake up to the cows mooing.
Outside of the other aspect is more of a farm complex. There's things like barns and silos. We don't want to block that view out because we purposely bought this place because it is agricultural. We want to be able to see those barns. When we moved in, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of House Martins inside. We're hoping they will come back every year. We like watching wildlife and it's perfect from the bedroom.
What is the best decorating advice you have ever received?
ML: I'm really good at cutting in when it comes to painting. Many years ago, someone told me to get a really good brush that isn't going to lose bristles. Then, fill the brush up with paint and only ever use the tip of the brush, but with really beautiful long strokes. That has always stuck with me. I can very quickly cut in around windows, skirting boards and doorways. It's about making sure you've got enough paint on the bristles, but then only using the tip.
What is the best home bargain you've ever snapped up?
ML: I think that's got to be our dining table. We have a large open space, so we needed a 12-seater. They were costing an arm and a leg and we found this place that made office desks and dining tables from old scaffolding boards. They crafted these beautiful black powder-coated legs and these very long boards. We've now got this big table which cost us about a third of the price — probably around £500 or £600. When we first looked at tables, they were going to cost between £3,000 and £4,000.
We love the whole idea of reusing materials, it's got all the character in the wood already which makes it more interesting. There's a little bit of graffiti on it, that sort of thing. We have to keep it waxed to help bring out the original wood. It was the perfect find.
What is your most treasured possession at home? Why is it so special?
ML: That's a tricky one. It's always plants because plants have a memory of something. For example, my father died 13 years ago and we've got his ashes. One day when my mum passes, the plan is to plant those ashes under a tree in the garden so that the tree will always remind me of them.
When I was around five or six, my mum asked what I wanted to buy my dad for his birthday. I knew he liked cows, so I went to the toy shop and bought him this little plastic cow. Of course, he loved it. Whenever I look at it, it reminds me of my dad which is lovely. And now it's brilliant because it ties in with the countryside that we've got around us.
What would we find in your bedside table?
ML: Ear plugs, definitely. Both my partner and I snore terribly. There's also a very small, beautiful, handmade little cup which a friend gave to me when I was at university. I don't know why it is in there – it was made in Ireland and she's from Ireland. There's a little pig on the side, there seems to be a theme here. I keep all my little bits in it, things like buttons and badges. I've probably also got an old phone case or two in my bedside table. I say that I like to be tidy, but sometimes those drawers can be really messy.
What would top your list for the worst decor trend?
ML: Floral or striped wallpaper. It just sets my teeth on edge. Also, when you see a room with floral wallpaper, floral curtains, floral cushions, floral everything. I know I said I love plants, but I just don't like that.
I also have a thing about sanitaryware which isn't white. I never think it's clean. It's crazy, I know, but it's always got to be white. Of course, I grew up in the 1970s when we had those lovely green, avocado toilets. I hated that. I also hate carpets in bathrooms – I don't understand why people do that. I remember growing up and there used to be shagpile in the bathroom. Really? Plus, I don't like mess or knickknacks. It's got to be nice and simple.
If you could have a snoop around anyone's house, whose would it be and why?
ML: I studied art history at university, so I would say Pablo Picasso. It probably would have done my head in because he did have lots of clutter, but I think it would have been amazing to sit in that space and literally feel the creativity that comes from him. Also, being able to see some of the work that was hanging up on the wall.
I would really like to look around a Prime Minister's personal house — no one in particular but I think it would give a really good indication of the type of person they are. It would maybe humanise them a bit more. Downing Street is more of an office, whereas their personal home tells more about them.
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