David: I have lived in Albrighton, a village on the Shropshire border, all my life. My father was a farmer — he had about 800 acres and he reared cattle, but had arable crops too. After the First World War, I know he really struggled to build the farm up, and he was proud of that.
When I was seven, my parents sent me to board at Shrewsbury School, about 30 miles away. It was there, in the school library, that I first came across a copy of a magazine called Gardens Illustrated. I pored over it, mesmerised by all the flowers.
Of course, all the other boys thought flowers were an old man’s game, but my housemaster was impressed and encouraged me. So did