Dr Mark McCarthy

“Strawberries at Christmas? Variability and change in UK Climate”

Dr Mark McCarthy is science manager of the National Climate Information Centre (NCIC) at the Met Office. He provides monitoring and analysis of UK climate variability and change to help UK society better understand the challenges, risks and opportunities that result from our variable and changing climate. A physicist by training, Mark joined the Met Office in 1999 and his research interests over that time have included water vapour in the upper atmosphere, the Indian monsson, the interaction between land-use and climate, urban micro-climates, and historical climatology. He provided consultation and peer-review of the climate content for the recent RHS Gardening in a Changing Climate report.

John Edmiston

‘‘Plant Choices in a Changing Climate – Drought Tolerant Plants in a Hotter, Drier Future”

John Edmiston is a Director of Tropical Britain, an online plant nursery that specialises in hardy exotics with a focus on the changing climate. A self-confessed plantaholic, he built his first glasshouse at the age of twelve and has been unable to stop growing plants ever since. John is a strong believer in the part that both gardeners and nurseries can play in botanical conservation.

Julian Ives

‘‘New innovations & challenges for Biological control at garden sites”

Julian is the founder of Dragonfli Ltd, which specializes in the supply, application and development of biological control products. He has spent the majority of his career working in the Biological Control sector, spending over 10 years with the leading producer of beneficial insects,  Koppert Biological Systems. Here he worked closely with growers developing integrated pest management systems before moving into management at Koppert. Julian left Koppert to work in the mail order business developing retail forms of biological control products that gardeners could access before forming Dragonfli in 2009. Dragonfli provide biological control solutions for both amateur and professional gardeners in the amenity sector.

Mark Broadmeadow

‘‘Resilient trees: planning for the future”

Mark Broadmeadow is the Forestry Commission’s Principal Adviser for Climate Change in England, currently leading their woodland creation programme. His role covers the development of policy and its application to delivery for both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Prior to transferring to Forestry Commission England in 2006, Mark led Forest Research’s Environmental Change Research Group, covering forest monitoring and climate change adaptation/ mitigation research programmes. He is a plant physiologist by training.

Mark Laurence

‘Designing landscapes for resilience and regeneration’

Mark Laurence has 40 years’ experience as a landscape designer, contractor, arborist, nurseryman and living wall specialist. He is a committee member of the Society of Garden Designers (Technical & Sustainability) and a Chartered Horticulturalist. Mark has always sought to develop ecological connections with his work and practiced sustainability long before the word came into use, as well as developing an understanding of Design Psychology and Pattern Language in landscape and creating a profession of Ecological Horticulture for the UK and working on the restoration of soils for resilience and carbon storage