Note: the following article was originally written in French, and can be viewed in French here.
The first time Frédéric Gabellec left France to explore the world, horticulture was at the heart of the experience from the get-go. With a “Gardening and Green Spaces” diploma in hand, he was keen for an adventure. That’s how he landed in Oregon almost 30 years ago.
“I worked for a year in a big nursery on a student visa. It was in the small town of Boring, near Portland and Mount Hood. Growing plants, pest control, shipping, I saw it all from beginning to end. My goal was also to practice English. I met students from many different countries. It was a professional and human experience, a year away from my family, and it opened my eyes to the world”, he recalls as we begin our video chat on a Saturday morning at the beginning of the summer. He then returned to his homeland for his national military service, which was still compulsory in the late 1990s and for which he was assigned to garden maintenance in the Brittany city of Lorient. But as soon as he was discharged, he headed out again, this time for a year in Australia.
Initial Experience in Social Horticulture
Back in France again, he heard about an opportunity that would lead him for the first time to experience horticulture focused on people. “Horticultural therapy began by chance. I got in touch with a former teacher who worked in a CAT (a French type of establishment providing work for people with disabilities). It wasn’t easy because I didn’t have any experience. But that first contact was a good introduction. Then I did other short-time jobs in the Lorient area.” We have been chatting in French, but to describe what comes next, he must switch to English, like many expats who navigate between two languages. “I got itchy feet.”
This time, he headed for Canada at a time when the country was looking for workers. First, he settled in Quebec, then moved on to English-speaking Ontario, where he took on responsibilities in a nursery that also entrusted him with commercial duties, thanks to his mastery of French. In the end, he spent five years in Canada. Before leaving, he had already prepared for his return to Europe: a job was waiting for him at Hillier Nurseries, a nursery based in Surrey, England and a family business for over 100 years.
Cultivating Empowerment with Disabled People
But horticultural therapy began to “tickle” him. In Surrey, where he still lives today, he became involved with a charity, The Grange at Bookham for People with Disabilities. “I worked for 11 years with people with disabilities who were residents and participated in daily activities. It was not quite horticultural therapy, but horticulture developed as we went along. We taught different tasks throughout the year: sowing, transplanting, planting, repotting, and harvesting. Instead of looking at the handicap, we looked for aptitudes and tried to adapt the tasks. It was all about promoting independence and letting them get on with it. If they finished the day with a smile on their face, we’d done our job,” recalls Frédéric. In turn, he learned patience from these students who needed simple explanations to understand that, in the end, nature takes its own time.
“It was a good experience, and reinforced the idea that with horticultural therapy, you can do a lot with very little. It was also an opportunity to work on myself. Instead of rushing through tasks like in my other jobs, I had to slow down and adapt by getting to know the people. Bonds were forged. The experience opened my eyes to these people. You can’t learn that at school. I didn’t know that I had this capacity to take care for people in me, to take care of people and plants, to give them everything that’s good for them and to support them.”
Back to School
In 2014, Frédéric signed up for a 10-month training course run by Coventry University, Thrive and Pershore College in the Cotswolds. “In 2015, I gained a Level 3 vocational diploma in ‘Social and Therapeutic Horticulture’. The training was a mix of workshops and case studies in the field.” Today, Thrive offers its own two-year training course.
After 11 years with The Grange, Frédéric was keen to work with a new audience: veterans. “One of my colleagues in my class was leaving his job with a veterans’ association, Gardening Leave, and I took over his position. I knew nothing about the lives of soldiers other than what you see in the news. As a civilian, I had to build trust with these guys, these soldiers who were describing their experiences in Afghanistan or Iraq. It’s a lot to take in. For them, coming by public transport was difficult because of the crowds. They were hyper-vigilant.” With these soldiers, many of whom had suffered trauma, Frédéric practices horticultural therapy: sowing and transplanting seeds, for example, to help them concentrate in the moment. “We used to prepare lunch together and wash the dishes. They felt protected. It was one of my best experiences even though it did not last long. Unfortunately, the association’s five sites in England and Scotland had to close for financial reasons. What became of them?”
Horticultural Training Behind Bars
Lacking opportunities in therapeutic and social horticulture close to home, Frédéric took a position as “head gardener” on a 4-hectare private estate. But he soon embarked on a new adventure with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) as a horticultural instructor. “In this prison for 200 women, we provided training in horticulture as a potential trade, with Level 1 and 2 diplomas. It was much more structured. But it’s not easy being out in the cold and rain when you’re not used to it. There was a lot of motivation and persuading to do. As an instructor, you had to establish good professional relationships and withhold judgment. This job opened my eyes to domestic violence and the difficulties that you hear about on TV only in passing. I learned about self-harm, suicide attempts and how the prison system works. It’s not always pretty. We often didn’t hear from them afterwards. But I left this job satisfied. It was rewarding work.”
The French Gardener: New Adventure
“I set up my own business as a landscaper in 2018,” explains Frédéric. In part, “The French Gardener” remains dedicated to people-oriented horticulture. “The Abbey School is a secondary school for children aged 11 to 15 with special needs (autism, learning disabilities). I’ve been working there as a “horticultural instructor” since 2018. Once a week, the students come to our “sensory garden” where we learn the basics of horticulture without technical vocabulary. From September to June, with the help of a teaching assistant, I take on eight kids with different abilities. They get a qualification (ASDAN) that they can use later. With their instructor, the kids learn to work with the seasons, where fruit comes from, how plants grow. They learn to understand nature. We taste strawberries and peas. We do our classes outside. We have a shelter with electricity. But we’re mostly outside whenever we can. I give them work to do at home, like observing their parents’ or grandparents’ gardens, or writing about what the garden brings them.”
In 2019, Frédéric added a new activity with a Dorking-based charity, the Patchwork Academy. The objective is to train and support people towards level 1 and 2 diplomas in horticulture. But this time, the students are adults aged between 30 and 60 living with mental health problems such as anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Frédéric is part of a crew of three instructors and examiners.
“Since March, I’ve been working as a “social and therapeutic horticulture practitioner” with the Petworth Community Garden. The aim is to help people with limited financial resources gain access to fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s not a training course, but they learn the basics of vegetable gardening and harvesting. We also work on social abilities by working and eating together.”
To find out more about his many experiences, you can get in touch with Frédéric on LinkedIn. He likes this network because it gives him an insight into the projects of other horticultural therapists around the world. He also tries to visit therapeutic gardens in his area. And like everyone else in this field, he deplores the fact that associations must fight endlessly to get funding. “It’s a real struggle for associations. As for me, I’ve found a good balance. Every day is different, and I work within a reasonable radius of Dorking where I live with my family. I’ve been working in horticulture for 30 years, including 20 years in social and therapeutic horticulture. I love teaching and it keeps me motivated. At the end of the day, I’m tired, but happy. It’s a pleasure to do this job.”
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Frédéric is fond of saying that his experiences have opened his eyes and enabled him to get closer to new realities. Curiosity, openness to others and self-knowledge seems to be the common denominators in his adventure around the world with people and plants.