Valeria’s excitement for gardening stretches back to her home farm in Italy, where she grew up and worked alongside her dad. Mainly characterised by olive trees and a beautiful vineyard, the farm produces its own olive oil and wine. As a young child, she was very much taught how to appreciate nature. ‘There is no better feeling than to watch your plants grow and produce food for you and your family. The natural world is an incredible thing that inspires us all and these early learnings for me on our farm have certainly inspired my keen interest in horticulture.’
After college, Valeria worked in a plant nursery where she trained to become a plant breeder. She worked there until 2019 when she left Italy to move to London seeking exciting new adventures.
In London, she took a role as Outdoor Manager of a Garden Centre in Fulham whilst broadening her horticultural skills during her free time at the Capel Manor College, in Regent's Park. She realised how much she missed working with plants and getting her hands dirty, so sought a new opportunity where she would feel close to nature once again.

It's been 3 months now since Valeria joined Alaster Anderson and she has quickly become a highly valued member of the team showing great enthusiasm and high attention to detail in all that she does.

What is your role at Alaster Anderson?

I'm a gardener at Alaster Anderson. I'm part of the Garden Maintenance team and I work alongside Joe ( Head of Maintenance). I provide daily support to Joe in maintaining our client’s gardens to the highest possible standards.

Is there a garden that has inspired you?

I was lucky enough to attend our summer team outing recently which was a guided tour of the incredible gardens of Gravetye Manor in Sussex, home of the great 19th-century gardener and influential writer, William Robinson. So much about these gardens inspired me, from the wild meadows to the flower garden, but the real highlight for me was the elliptical walled kitchen garden which was just out of this world. Read more about this visit here.

What is your favourite plant and why?  

This is such a tricky question as I love so many different species, it would possibly be easier to ask which I dislike. One of my favourite plants though is Arbutus Unendo (Strawberry Tree). It brings back fond memories of my childhood; my grandfather had a huge tree in his garden and I used to spend hours with him, picking the fruits. The unusual shape of these trees is absolutely fascinating, their branches become intertwined with each other and create shelter and home for wildlife.

What is your favourite project?

I haven't had many opportunities to work on big projects yet but I am so excited to be involved with some that are coming up. However, I have very much enjoyed helping in the last few weeks of installation on our project in Ealing. It has come together beautifully and has some wonderful plant species and interesting schemes.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned at Alaster Anderson?  

Looking after a variety of different styles of gardens for our clients is very interesting for me. Learning about the different planting schemes and the association of bringing different plants together to create something truly beautiful really tickles my curiosity. Every day there is something different to learn.

What do you love about your job?

I love contributing to the gardens we look after. Each of them is unique and being able to work on them, and nurture the plants makes me very happy and proud of what we do.
I also love working with everyone at Alaster Anderson, they are such a knowledgeable group. Being part of a team of incredible horticulturists with so many years of experience makes me excited to learn more and grow within the company.

You can reach us on 0207 305 7183 or email at enquire@alasteranderson.com