Jade Murray

Having studied Art & Design and Photography at William Morris Academy, JADE MURRAY began nurturing her creative flair by starting her own indoor garden. In 2021 she entered the RHS 'My Chelsea Garden' virtual competition (in partnership with BBC's The One Show) and wowed the judges, who were so impressed by her achievements they awarded her the Judges' Gold Medal. Jade lives in Queen's Park, London with her three children - who find plants as rewarding as she does.

With a little bit of time, care and attention I believe we can all reap the benefits of what indoor plants have to offer. Plant care is self-care as they contribute to our peace of mind. I might have grown up in the city but I have always been a nature girl at heart-appreciating the forever changing sky, the leaves on trees blowing in the wind creating beautiful bursts of colour. What I didn't know was that my love for plants and nature was going to follow me through to adulthood.

Living in a small house with a limited garden, I set out to try and work with nature in my home by starting my own indoor plant collection. I began with just three: Scindapsus pictus (satin silver pothos), Dischidia nummularia (string of nickels) and the gorgeous Aeschynanthus japhrolepsis (lipstick plant). These plants set me on my indoor plant journey.

I very quickly learned that, given the right conditions, it is indeed possible to grow and nurture just about any type of plant indoors. My passion and fascination continued to grow and quite quickly three plants had turned into fifty-five, with each and every one thriving, growing, and giving back in so many glorious ways. My indoor garden oasis was born. I had created a little pocket of plant heaven and brought the outside in, and somehow encapsulated the feel, smell and essence of a tropical rainforest in my very own living space.

With limited room I found that having some of my plants hanging, clustered on shelving or on a ladder shelf - thereby creating a vertical garden - would allow me to save space and expand my collection. On top of this, I started using spotlights and mirrors to reflect more light around my plants so they had 360 degrees of even light. Adding the mirrors also created an illusion of having an extra window - another light source coming into the room.

We all should incorporate nature into our lives in one way or another, and what better way to start than by inviting nature into our indoor spaces. We all have green fingers - we just need to tap into them! With my user friendly and practical book, you can easily navigate your way through indoor plant care and successfully achieve a thriving indoor garden, bringing calm and tranquillity into your life.