UKTV Gardens: “So how good did it feel when you found out you’d won a Gold Medal for Best Courtyard Garden?
Kim: “It was like that moment in the movie Carrie when she wins the beauty content – before she starts killing everybody, of course! I was in a daze and I could see people smiling and things were happening around me and I couldn’t quite believe it. We were just overwhelmed. We still are actually – totally reeling from it. It’s just wonderful."

UKTV Gardens: You’re often quoted as saying you still see yourself as an enthusiast, rather than an expert. Do you feel Chelsea has finally raised the horticultural world’s perception of you? Or perhaps, more importantly, that is has raised your perception of yourself?
Kim: “You’re quite right on both counts. The perception of myself is perhaps the more interesting one. I haven’t always taken myself seriously as a gardener and I’ve always thought I was on the sidelines looking in, not really belonging in that circle – but still, very, very happy to just skirt around the perimeter. However, now I feel that I’ve made some serious in-roads – not just because of Chelsea, although Chelsea seems to have confirmed it. I feel I am making serious strides in the world of horticulture that are valuable, to some degree – and I accept the responsibility of that. But accepting the responsibility of that is the hardest part, in a way, as you’re really putting yourself on the line. But I may as well. I’ve got away with it this long!”

UKTV Gardens: Things will never be the same again, now you’re a Chelsea winner.
Kim: “Well it’s been a really exciting and challenging journey up until this point and now, Chelsea seems to be not the end of something, but actually the beginning of something. I wonder what it is actually the beginning of…?”

UKTV Gardens: We expect your progress in horticulture has been very inspiring to many people. How would you encourage people who wish to embark on a similar journey to yourself?
Kim: “It’s all about motivation, really. When I got into gardening, it was to learn how to sort out my own garden. My motivation had nothing to do with a career in horticulture – just like my motivation to get into the music business wasn’t to get on telly - it was to make music and write songs and sing. So, if your motivation is to be around plants and to be outdoors and to interact with other people who like plants, then you can’t do anything better than going back to college to learn about it. I did a two-year course every Thursday night at Capel Manor College which was very do-able for me as a Mum. That gives you the best possible start.”