Fran Bailey grew up on a cut flower nursery near York, where her Dutch father Jacob Verhoef encouraged her love of all things horticultural. After studying at the Welsh College Of Horticulture, she moved to London to work as a freelance florist. In 2006 she opened her first flower shop, The Fresh Flower Company, in South London. Zia Allaway is an author, journalist, and qualified horticulturalist who has written and edited a range of gardening books for the RHS and DK, including the RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Zia also writes a monthly column on garden design for Homes and Gardens magazine and is a contributor to the Garden Design Journal. She runs a consultancy service from her home in Hertfordshire and offers practical workshops for beginners. Christopher Young is the horticultural team leader of the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden in Surrey. He is a passionate plantsman with a particular interest in exotics and ferns, and is also a member of the RHS Tender Ornamental Plant Committee.