Main content

James Wong

James Wong - our roof garden and tropical garden specialist

Roof gardens

James Wong is up on the roof for his revival. Roof Gardens were at their height in the first half of the 20th century but they fell from grace and he now believes the time has come to return them to their rightful place, in a celebration of our gardening heritage.

To start his campaign, he heads to the rooftop garden of a bank in the heart of the city, to discover the rewards and challenges of gardening on high. He uncovers the hidden horticultural past of London’s rooftops and meets a woman who has moved her entire garden to a rooftop apartment in West London. He also visits Birmingham’s new library with an innovative rooftop addition which is providing much-needed green space for volunteers who no longer have gardens.

Throughout his revival, James shares his gardening tips – he shows us that when it comes to roof gardens, containers are king and also reveals the best plants that are ideally suited to a rooftop garden.

Tropical gardens

For James Wong, no other gardening style can match tropical gardens when it comes to sheer spectacle, the thrill of innovation and a sense of fun. Seen as unfashionable, expensive and a lot of hard work, tropical gardening has fallen by the wayside and James is determined to revive it.

The Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens in Dorset provide the exotic backdrop for his campaign. James shows us his tips on how to care for and maintain tropical plants, he tells us which ones thrive in sun and those that prefer more shade, as well as revealing how to create a tropical look on a budget.

On his revival, he meets like-minded tropical plant geeks, including one man who appears to have defied the laws of nature to create a tropical paradise in his back garden in Norfolk.