Houseplants, Chelsea and Knowing Your Worth, with Gemma Haigh

Gemma Haigh’s route into horticulture hasn’t exactly been conventional.After starting her career in museums and heritage, she turned a lifelong love of plants into The Plant Parlour, working across houseplants, content creation, design and interior landscaping. She also created a Houseplant Studio for the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, inspired, perhaps unexpectedly, by the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us.But this conversation goes well beyond houseplants.Gemma joins Phil and Kate to talk about why industries driven by passion can become comfortable with expecting people to work for very little, the difficulty of putting a proper value on horticultural expertise, and whether women face additional barriers when trying to make a career in the sector.They also discuss caring responsibilities, the treatment of women online, why follower numbers and genuine expertise aren’t the same thing, and what brands should be looking for when they work with creators.And, returning to plants, Gemma explains why climate change could start to blur the distinction between what we think of as an indoor plant and an outdoor plant.It’s a wide-ranging conversation about plants, careers, expertise and what it takes to be taken seriously in horticulture.In this episode:How an overflowing garden led Gemma into houseplantsCreating a Houseplant Studio at RHS Chelsea Flower ShowWhy passion shouldn’t be used as an excuse for poor payWhether horticulture properly values professional expertiseWomen, caring responsibilities and career progressionThe difference between influence, entertainment and genuine authorityWhy brands need to think harder about who represents themHow our changing climate could change the way we grow houseplants