On 10 June, Grayshott Gardeners were treated to an educational and entertaining evening with Guy Deakins. 

Guy is a garden designer, plantsman, and author of Gardener’s Guide to Protected Growing. Trained in design history and design psychology, he is particularly interested in neuroaesthetics—the study of how people respond to beauty. Since founding his business in 1999, he has worked on a wide range of projects, including small courtyards, city roof gardens, Norfolk fen gardens, windswept coastal formal gardens, and country estates.

Guy explained how to murder your garden and which minerals, mulch and manures nourish soil and feed it.  He also showed the audience a realistic skull and prop hands to illustrate that hoof and horn, fingernails, hair, and bonemeal are high in nitrogen. He added that dandelions, chicory, and beets improve drainage because their roots can reach 15 feet. Seaweed, he noted, is a conditioner rather than a feed.

Guy highlighted that laurel should never be chipped, crushed, or ingested because it contains cyanide, as do apple pips. He also noted that the possible link between glyphosate, a weedkiller used by farmers, and coeliac disease remains inconclusive.

The evening concluded with a question-and-answer session led by Guy.