Philip Oostenbrink began gardening at the age of 4 and the jungle plant obsession took hold after a trip to Tresco, a subtropical island off the UK. After teaching horticulture at a secondary school for 8 years, Philip changed direction and took up positions at notable British gardens such as Canterbury Cathedral and now Walmer Castle where one of his first projects has been to plant a jungle garden in the moat. He leads tours of the garden, writes and broadcasts on his specialisms, and holds 3 national plant collections.