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Carol Klein

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Carol Klein
VMH
Klein at the 2010 RHS Tatton Park show
Born (1945-06-24) 24 June 1945 (age 79)
Walkden, Lancashire, England
EducationBolton School
Occupation(s)Garden expert, television presenter, newspaper columnist
EmployerBBC
Known forTelevision gardening programmes
TelevisionGardeners' World

Carol Ann Klein VMH (born 24 June 1945)[1] is an English gardening expert, who also works as a television presenter and newspaper columnist.

In July 2023 the Royal Horticultural Society named Klein as the RHS Iconic Horticultural Hero 2023.

Early life

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Born in Walkden, Lancashire, in 1945, Klein attended Worsley Wardley Grammar School but left school when she was 15. Interviewed for Lancashire Life in 2014 she recalled: "I think I was quite close to being chucked out. I loved art and biology but in those days you had to choose between the two subjects. I was fed up about that." She aspired to art school but her father was opposed and she secured a job as a retail assistant at the Kendal Milne department store in Manchester. Her love of gardening was inspired partly by her grandfather, whose allotment she enjoyed, and partly by her mother.[2]

Klein originally trained as a fine artist and spent many years teaching art in schools and colleges. After 13 years she moved from London to Devon where she established a plant nursery at Glebe Cottage.[3][4][5] She exhibited at more than 200 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shows and began exhibiting at the annual Chelsea Flower Show in 1990, where she won six gold medals.[6][7]

Television and shows

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Klein made her television debut on Gardeners' World in 1989 and has since presented other gardening programmes such as Real Gardens and Open Gardens. Projects include Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein which followed a year in the life of Klein's garden at Glebe Cottage in North Devon, and Grow Your Own Veg. Each week the programme looked at a different group of crop plants or techniques suitable for home gardening. Both programmes were made for BBC Two. She has been a permanent presenter of Gardeners' World since 2005.

Klein has been described as having a "weather-beaten face, forthright manner and fruity accent – mainly her native Manchester but with hints of West Country."[8]

In 2013 she was a joint presenter for two episodes of BBC's Great British Garden Revival.[9]

In March 2023 the RHS announced Klein as the RHS Iconic Horticultural Hero 2023 and invited her to create a garden at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival between 4 and 9 July. RHS Ambassador Klein said: "It's very flattering to have been named the RHS Iconic Horticultural Hero. I've always loved nature, plants and gardening and am lucky that I have been able to forge a career out of my passion. I'm really excited by the challenge and look forward to hearing what visitors think. I intend to be on the garden as much as I can during the show so I can talk to visitors about how to propagate and discuss our shared love of plants."[10] Her show garden at the festival was divided into six main habitats: wetland, woodland, hedgerow, meadow, exposed mountain and seaside, plus a small vegetable patch. She said "My ideas about gardening with nature just seem to reflect the way most people like to garden. And perhaps they want to listen to me because I’m good at talking! I can put an idea across and I hope that I enthuse people: for me, there’s no point otherwise. I’m hoping that this show garden will do just that."[11][12]

In May 2024 she was a co-presenter for BBC's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show.[13]

Writing

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As well as television work, Klein has written a number of books for Mitchell Beazley and writes for gardening publications such as BBC Gardeners' World magazine as well as a column for The Guardian. She writes a weekly column, syndicated through the Trinity Mirror regional's newspaper publishing business, which appears in the "Saturday Extra" magazine given with regional newspaper titles such as the Liverpool Echo[14] and Manchester Evening News.

Personal life

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Klein is married to Neil Klein and has two daughters, Annie and Alice. Annie lives in California and Alice lives in Lewisham and has two children.[15] In 2011 Klein closed her nursery business, based at her home at Chittlehamholt, near Umberleigh in Devon, after a dispute with her neighbour.[16]

In 2016 she was voted the nation's favourite gardener in a poll for Yorkshire Women's Life Magazine over her Gardener's World colleague Monty Don.[17]

In March 2018 Klein was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society.[18]

In May 2024 Klein revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone major surgery on 3 April.[19]

Bibliography

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  • Plant Personalities: Choosing and Growing Plants by Character with Jonathan Buckley (Cassell Illustrated, 2004) ISBN 1-84403-046-6
  • RHS Grow Your Own Veg (Mitchell Beazley, 2007) ISBN 978-1-84533-293-8
  • RHS Grow Your Own Fruit (Mitchell Beazley, 2008) ISBN 978-1-84533-434-5
  • RHS Grow Your Own Veg Journal (Mitchell Beazley, 2008) ISBN 978-1-84533-471-0
  • Cook Your Own Veg (Mitchell Beazley, 2008) ISBN 978-1-84533-407-9
  • Making a Garden (Mitchell Beazley, 2015) ISBN 978-1-84533-797-1

References

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  1. ^ Crosbie, Eve (18 June 2021). "Everything you need to know about Carol Klein: age, children, net worth and more". HELLO!. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Carol Klein on her dad's hatred of gardening, her love of motorbikes and a major new series for next year". 7 May 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  3. ^ Klein, Carol (31 January 2009). "Busy days at Glebe Cottage". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "Carol Klein". TVGuide.com.
  5. ^ Carol Klein (31 January 2009). "Carol Klein on busy days in her Devon garden". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ^ "BBC Two - Gardeners' World - Carol Klein". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  7. ^ "RHS Ambassador: Carol Klein / RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. ^ "TV star Carol Klein of Gardeners' World is caught up in a stinking row". The Daily Telegraph. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  9. ^ "BBC Two - Great British Garden Revival, Series 1". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  10. ^ "RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2023 highlights include garden by Horticultural Hero Carol Klein". rhs.org.uk. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Carol Klein: Being called 'iconic' makes me giggle".
  12. ^ "RHS Hampton Court winners".
  13. ^ "How to watch the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show on TV and BBC iPlayer".
  14. ^ Neil Macdonald (4 March 2013). "Saturdays are getting even better in your Liverpool Echo". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Everything you need to know about Carol Klein: Age, children, net worth and more". 18 February 2021.
  16. ^ Wainwright, Martin (31 August 2011). "TV's Carol Klein closes nursery after neighbours kick up a stink". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  17. ^ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/amateur-gardening/20171223/283330407678525. Retrieved 31 March 2018 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Appleby, Matthew. "Carol Klein awarded RHS Victoria Medal of Honour". hortweek.com/. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  19. ^ "BBC Gardeners' World star Carol Klein diagnosed with breast cancer". 4 May 2024.
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