David Domoney

David Domoney

David Domoney
Born David Martin Domoney
(1963-03-26) 26 March 1963
Devizes, Wiltshire, England
Nationality British
Occupation Broadcaster, gardener
Television The Alan Titchmarsh Show (2011–2012)
Love Your Garden (2012—)
Partner(s) Adele Holdsworth
Website daviddomoney.com

David Martin Domoney, FI (Hort) (born 26 March 1963)[1] is an English celebrity gardener and broadcaster. He demystifies gardening.[2]

David has co-presented Love Your Garden on ITV since 2012. He also featured as the resident gardening expert on The Alan Titchmarsh Show.[3]

Domoney founded Cultivation Street, the national campaign to bring back front gardens and get communities gardening together.[4]

David also writes weekly for the national Sunday British newspaper, the Sunday People[5][6]

Early career

David Domoney was born in Devizes, Wiltshire, the son of Raymond, a British Telecoms senior executive. Jean Domoney, David's mother, born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, had three children and a career in sales. After leaving Moseley School, Birmingham, in 1979 aged 16, he studied at Warwickshire College of Agriculture, gaining a Pre Cert. Horticulture qualification.[7]

In 1980, he enrolled in one of the last of the industry's old style comprehensive three-year apprenticeships with Notcutts Nursery & Garden Centre Group (which at the time were the Harrods of Horticulture) during which he studied at Hadlow College of Horticulture. In 1983, David left Notcutts to study full-time at Pershore College of Horticulture, receiving an Advanced Certificate in Horticulture (ANCH).[8] He had a successful business career in horticulture with Notcutts predominantly as a plant advisor/manager on the front line answering visitors gardening questions. David joined thebiggest UK Growing group Anglia Nursries as Sales & Marketing Manager, before joining Seasons Garden centre Group PLC as Horticulture Director.

Domoney then spent a decade heading up the garden buying teams for super store giants Texas Homecare & Do It All.[9] David began his broadcasting career at Texas Homecare—presenting gardening features on the satellite TV station the company ran at its 20,000 staff.

In 1999, Domoney formed his own garden design company, the Raven Partnership (Raven chosen because it is the only animal fabled to have visited both heaven and hell). He raised finance for his own garden designs at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shows including the Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Palace, BBC Gardener's World Live and the Tatton Flower Show. To date, he has won 28 Royal Horticultural Society medals.[10]

Career

Television

Domoney's eccentric warmly passionate Lovejoy approach shows that gardening should be about getting stuck in and learning as you go.[22]

Pamela Anderson described Domoney as her favourite gardener on ITV's This Morning, saying "I do not like gardening but with his passion and eccentricity, you can't help but get excited!"[23]

During his three years on This Morning he gave tips to Brian Ferry on Bonsai, Jerry Hall and Dawn French on pumpkins for Halloween, advised Christian Slater on his water butt, Antony Worrall Thompson on topiary, and Jo Wood on acoustic plants. Whilst on ITV's Better Homes he advised Carol Vorderman on roof gardens. At Hampton Court, he advised Sir Cliff Richard on his lawns.

Amongst others he has landscaped gardens for Phillip Schofield, at his home in 2010, and England striker Michael Owen for his 'Hello' magazine wedding shoot.[24]

Garden designs

Domoney's garden designs at prestigious shows include a garden created for a Hell's Angel at the Chelsea Flower Show, complete with a working Harley-Davidson (Ace of Spades Garden, 2010 Silver Gilt Medal); The Da Vinci Garden at Chelsea Flower Show (2006 Sunday Mirror Bronze Medal) and the World Cup Garden (2010 BBC Gardeners World Live Silver Gilt Medal).[25] His quirky tips and eccentric horticultural style has gained him a 'Top Gear' type profile.[26]

His approach is to attract people not normally interested in gardening by enticing them with innovative design and inspiring ideas. He created a Piranha-infested underwater garden with five tanks containing plant biotopes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2009.[27] His show shocked the nation and stopped the Queen in her tracks. It also won him a Gold Medal.[28] The following year he created the Ace of Diamonds garden – the most expensive show garden ever seen at the Chelsea Flower Show with £20m worth of diamonds.[29]

Other projects

Domoney is an honouree member of the British Association of Landscapers.

He has written for many magazines and newspapers including That's Life, House Beautiful, Sunday Mirror, Garden News, Practical Gardening and Moscow Garden & Home. From 2012 David had his own gardening page in the Sunday People national newspaper and now writes a weekly page for Sunday Mirror.

He has designed horticultural ranges for the retailers John Lewis, Safeway, Morrisons, B&Q, Homebase and Marks & Spencer in a consultancy roll with Coletta & Tyson Nurseries.

As a public speaker, he lectured on best business practice and garden trends for the British Consulate in Canada, Moscow Garden Trade Fair, Du Pont Luxemburg, International Retailing Berlin, UK Garden Retail Association, Federation of International Super Stores Barcelona and HSBC.[30] From 2005, his clients have included Harley-Davidson, BMI Airlines, Aggregate Industries, Laura Ashley Garden, Bayer, Jacuzzi, Croft, Harvey's, Du Pont, Bord Bia, Daily Mail World Media, RHS, HTA, Media 10, Ocean Media, Trinity Mirror, ITV, Channel 5, Channel 4, BBC GWL, Le Vive Diamonds Old Bond Street, the Ritz Hotel, the Prince's Foundation and Anglian Windows.

Domoney founded the Cultivation Street campaign that promotes community and school gardening. Every year, a competition to win up to £20,000 of National Gardening Gift Vouchers runs, in association with The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and media partners, Sunday Mirror.

In 2007, Domoney launched Catwalk in Bloom at the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship show Hampton Court Palace and has run it for five years, including a spin-off at the Ragley Hall CLA Game Fair. In 2014 he brought it back to life as the Country Catwalk at the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace. It was the world's largest countryside fashion show.[31]

In 2011, in association with the Prince's Foundation and the organisers of the Ideal Home Show, Domoney launched the Young Gardeners of the Year Competition to find the country's best young garden designers, which was visited by HRH the Prince of Wales.[32]

In 2011 Domoney was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture.[33] He also sits on the Commercial Board for the charity the Royal Horticultural Society.

Domoney hosts annual charity auction at Euro Plants and assists the horticultural industry charity Green Fingers through Garden Re-Leaf Day.[34]

In 2014, Domoney joined Thrive Charity as Ambassador for Gardening, and continues to support their work in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture.[35]

Personal life

Domoney is a keen biker and has a V800 Vulcan motorbike. He is a master scuba diver with over 200 logged dives. His Specialist PADI Diving Qualifications include: Wreck Diving, Diver Propulsion Vehicles, Maldivian Shark Diver, Deep Diving and Dry Suit Diver.[36]

Domoney owns two properties – a home near Stratford-upon-Avon with three acres of grounds, gardens and plant nursery. He also owns a farmhouse in Italy just off the Adriatic coast with five acres, including a two-acre working olive grove and private wood. Domoney and partner Adele, have two children, Abigal and Alice-Rose. Domoney has a brother, Neil Domoney and a sister, Julia with two children, Lydia and Anna, who have appeared in his TV shows. [37]

Since childhood Domoney has collected for the Methodist charity, JMA, and continues to do so.

References

  1. ↑ David Domoney's Website – About Me
  2. ↑ Cohen, Tamara. "Viagra perks up plants: How impotence drug can revive drooping flowers", "Daily Mail", London, 19 January 2012. Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Love Your Garden", Retrieved on 17 April 2012.
  4. ↑ , "Cultivation Street – bringing Britain's streets back to life through people, plants and pride", Retrieved on 28 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Laws, Roz. "Meet Warwickshire's TV gardener to the stars David Domoney", "Coventry Telegraph", Warwickshire, 13 February 2012. Retrieved on 28 February 2012
  6. ↑ Titchmarsh, Alan. "The Alan Titchmarsh Show", Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Laws, Roz. "TV gardener David Domoney sets out to shock with nipples, piranhas and motorbikes", "Sunday Mercury", 12 February 2012. Retrieved on 9 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Rogers, Lauren. "Celebrity Gardener Returns to Roots", "Worchester News", 29 March 2009. Retrieved on 9 March 2012.
  9. ↑ Laws, Roz. "Thrill-seeking guru loves shock 'n' roll lifestyle ; Brightening up his work with piranhas, Viagra and vodka, David Domoney is not your...", "Birmingham Post", 23 February 2009. Retrieved on 9 March 2012.
  10. ↑ Domoney, David. "David Domoney's Official Website – About Me", Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  11. ↑ The Alan Titchmarsh Show
  12. ↑ Garden ER
  13. ↑ 60 Minute Makeover
  14. ↑ This Morning
  15. ↑ Daybreak
  16. ↑ Solution Street
  17. ↑ House of Horrors
  18. ↑ Better Homes
  19. ↑ House Auction
  20. ↑ Gardeners form Hell
  21. ↑ Plant Doctor
  22. ↑ "David Domoney's Ideas Take Seed In Malcolm Mundy's Garden", "Bayer Garden", 3 November 2011. Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  23. ↑ "David Domoney – 60 minute makeover profile", "60-minute makeover", Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  24. ↑ Ott, Steve. "Celebrity line up at first Gloucester Quays Garden Party", "Kitchen Garden", 21 February 2012. Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  25. ↑ , "David Domoney's Official Website – Ace of Spades Garden", Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Stephenson, David. "Viagra is Blooming Fantastic", "Sunday Express", 26 June 2011. Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  27. ↑ , "2009 Piranha-infested underwater garden at RHS Chelsea", Retrieved on 28 July 2014.
  28. ↑ Laws, Roz. "TV gardener David Domoney sets out to shock with nipples, piranhas and motorbikes", "Sunday Mercury", 12 February 2012. Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  29. ↑ , "David Domoney's Record-Breaking £20m Ace of Diamonds Garden", Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  30. ↑ Domoney, David. "David Domoney", "Men Speakers". Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  31. ↑ , "David Domoney – CLA Country Catwalk", Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  32. ↑ , "David Domoney's Official Website – Young Gardeners of the Year 2014", Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Institute of Horticulture announces its 2011 award winners and Fellows". Institute of Horticulture. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  34. ↑ Domoney, David. , "David Domoney's Official Website – David hosts Garden Re-Leaf Day at Millbook Garden Centre". Retrieved on 28 July 2014.
  35. ↑ , "David Domoney's Official Website – Thrive Charity Ambassador for Gardening". Retrieved on 28 February 2012.
  36. ↑ Domoney, David. , "Men Speakers – David Domoney Profile". Retrieved on 9 March 2012.
  37. ↑ Domoney, David. "About Me", "David Domoney's Official Website". Retrieved on 28 February 2012.

External links

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