Joseph Swift is a Gardener, Author and Presenter of Gardeners' World who was born on 25 May 1965.
Both of Joe Swift's parents and other family members are famous.
Joe Swift's father was the late actor Clive Swift best known for playing Richard Bucket, the long suffering husband of Hyacinth Bucket (played by Dame Patricia Routledge) in Keeping up Appearances.
His father sadly died on 1st February 2019.
Joe Swifts mother is novelist Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd who has published 19 Novels. She divorced his father in 1975.
She is now married to Sir Michael Holroyd, who is a writer and Biographer.
His older brother Adam Swift became a Political Philosopher and Sociologist and has written several books.
His late Sister Rebecca Swift was to become a poet and essayist and ran the Literacy Consultancy and sadly died in 2017.
His late uncle was David Swift, the actor best known for playing Henry Davenport in Drop the Dead Donkey.
His childhood memories of his garden in London are that he mainly used for football but he would help out in his Grandparents garden.
He grew a very small apple sampling from a seed but his mom had got some landscapers in the garden and it sadly disappeared, much to Joes annoyance.
After leaving school Joe went to Art College but dropped out and became a guitarist in a band 'The Tumbling Dice'.
He left the band to go travelling and he first got into gardening whilst in Israel working in a Kibbutz.
Joe Swift started work as a Landscape Gardener before going to Australia to work there.
Joe had fallen in love with gardening and whilst in Australia the concept of a garden being an outdoor room had caught his interest.
Joe returned to study a degree in Garden Design at The English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Gardens.
One of his first jobs when he qualified was to design his Mother a garden.
Joe Swift joined Gardeners' World as a presenter in 1998, alongside Monty Don and he has been a popular presenter ever since
He also presents TV coverage and is a judge for RHS Flower Shows, including RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
In 2012, Joe Swift's garden design at Chelsea Flower Show won a gold medal.
Joe also writes gardening articles for magazines and newspapers and has written several books.
Joe is a past President of the National Garden Scheme.
Joe Swift is the Co-Founder and Design Director of the Garden Design Company Modular Garden
In 2018 Joe designed Horatio's Garden at Stoke Mandeville.
He is quoted as saying 'its the most important garden I've designed in my life, and probably ever will do'.
Joe Swift has a Dahlia named after him, Dahlia Joe Swift.
In 2023 Joe Swift moved from his home in Hackney, London to a new home and garden in Dorset.
Joe has documented his Garden Makeover in his YouTube Channel Joe's Country Garden.
Joe has two children and lives in Dorset, Joe likes to keep his personal life out of the media.
Joe Swift Awards
2012
RHS Chelsea Flower Show - Gold Medal
Joe Swift Television Programmes
1998 - Present
Gardeners' World
2001
Small Town Gardens
2001
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
2003
Garden Invaders
2004
Garden Makers
2005
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
2006
Gardener of the Year
2007
Open Gardens
2013
Great British Garden Revival
2015
The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge
2021
10 December 2021
2024
Joe Swift Books
The Plant Room: A Contemporary Guide to Urban Gardening
2008
Joe's Urban Garden Handbook
2009
Joe's Allotment: Planning and Planting a Productive Plot
2014
Joe's Small Garden Handbook
2022
Small Garden
Edible Garden
Indoor Green
Nature Garden
Modern Space
Joe Swift Modular Garden Instagram Joe's Country Garden
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