A free evening gardening club seemed like a small escape from office life for Darcy Owen-Towe. Instead, it changed everything about how – and where – she wanted to live and work
Few people understand early in life what truly fulfils them. Even fewer shake off society’s expectations to do something about it. At just 27, Darcy Owen-Towe knows how fortunate she is to have not only found her calling but transformed it into a career.
At the beginning of 2024, she abandoned a secure graphic design job in Manchester and started from scratch as a gardener and garden designer. It was a brave decision, but one that has already paid off.
Largely self-taught, Darcy was awarded a Silver Medal in the Blooming Borders category at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival in May. ‘It’s crazy. I’ve only been doing this professionally for a couple of years, so I couldn’t believe it when my name was read out. It was such a confidence boost,’ she says.
Named The Borrowed Border in honour of Mary Norton’s much-loved book The Borrowers, about tiny unseen people using everyday objects, the award-winning design was packed with details to spark childlike wonder such as layered planting and hidden Borrower-sized furniture. Darcy used an RHS grant, crowdfunding and her own savings to bring the border to life, transport it to Malvern and then relocate it to Stubbylee Community Greenhouses in Bacup, a community-driven space that promotes social inclusion and wellbeing.
It is here, under Darcy’s guidance, that volunteers have distributed the plants throughout the site for visitors to enjoy.
‘Souta [Van Wick, Stubbylee’s operations manager] told me opportunities like this don’t come along very often, so it is amazing to know the plants will have a permanent home and that they will be cared for by volunteers who are here by choice,’ says Darcy as we sit in Stubbylee’s café courtyard. Disturbed only by birdsong and the rustle of leaves, it’s a tranquil space to chat.
Over the course of our conversation, it becomes clear that community, education and accessibility underpin Darcy’s values. It is why the Malvern project and the work at Stubbylee feels so personal.
‘My friend Chantelle passed away last June due to mental health struggles. Her death pushed me to seize life, which is why I decided to apply for RHS Malvern in the first place. She was endlessly energetic and loved anything whimsical, so I could imagine her enjoying the garden,’ she says. Chantelle will be memorialised in Stubbylee’s Memory Garden alongside the weeping mulberry from the RHS garden.
‘Alongside my own experiences with anxiety and depression, it’s a big part of why gardening and creating restorative spaces mean so much to me,’ notes Darcy, who grew up in the Derbyshire hamlet of Somersal Herbert. Surrounded by countryside, with the nearest shop half an hour’s walk away, nature was woven into daily life.
‘We would run around barefoot outside, and I used to build fairy houses. I’ve always loved the idea that magical creatures might be hiding everywhere. We loved looking after small animals too. My sister and I used to rescue jackdaw chicks that had been knocked out of the church tower when the bells rang.’
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Darcy’s family’s garden was more wild than manicured, while her grandparents introduced her to a more traditional style of gardening. Both influences would leave their mark, as would her early love of wildlife. Her sister is now an ecologist, while biodiversity and pollinator-friendly planting is at the heart of Darcy’s work.
Gardening, however, did not seem like a realistic career option. ‘It didn’t feel like there was an outlet for gardening or nature when you were choosing what to study. At sixth form, my tutors were saying: “It’s all well and good, but how are you going to make money?” And it was a fair point.’
So, Darcy chose the safer, more sensible route. Having always loved art, she studied graphic design at Manchester Metropolitan University before building a career creating product campaigns for household appliances. ‘It was kettles, toasters, photoshoots, packaging,’ she laughs. ‘That’s where I met my partner, Abby, who is a photographer.’
From the outside, life appeared settled. But something was missing. The turning point came in 2023 when she joined a free evening gardening club run by Manchester community organisation Altogether Otherwise. Held in a small urban growing space every Tuesday, it was led by gardener Joe Hartley, whose encouragement would prove transformative.
‘Being outside in that little space was just freeing. It sparked something in me and took me back to who I was when I was a kid. I started thinking, what am I doing? Sitting in an office was never me. I didn’t recognise myself in the city. It wasn’t what I loved. I love being outside. It was like a rewiring of my brain.’
By Christmas 2023 she had made her decision. Despite understandable concerns from her parents, she handed in her notice shortly after returning from the festive break. ‘They were saying, “Are you sure you’re going to do this?” But I thought if I don’t do it now, I never will and I’ll regret it.’
Darcy moved back into her childhood home and worked part-time in a café while building her business. In her spare time, she immersed herself in horticultural books, online research and practical experience. ‘I’m constantly reading about plants. There’s so much to learn. The Latin names are difficult, but it feels like it comes naturally to me and I find I can retain the information easily.’
Finding those first clients required determination and old-fashioned legwork. She knocked on doors and spoke to neighbours. Her first major commission came about via a chance conversation involving her mother and a newcomer to the area.
The client had previously commissioned designs that failed to capture what she wanted. ‘I sat down with her and really listened, which is something I always do with clients. Often, it’s not just about someone’s garden, but their lives and how they want to use the space. Then I hand drew a design. I always do this, and it is something clients can keep. In this instance, she wanted something safe for her children and easy to maintain.’
Working alongside landscapers through a freezing spring, she watched her ideas become reality. ‘The process just made me fall in love with it even more.’
Word spread quickly, especially when she gave a neglected roadside verge near her parents’ home a makeover. ‘I completely stripped it back and planted things like clover lawns and pollinator plants. People walking their dogs would stop and chat.’
Today, much of her work comes through recommendations and she remains passionate about making gardening accessible. ‘Garden design can seem quite elitist, but I don’t think it should be. Everybody should be able to have a nice outdoor space. It’s about showing people you can reuse things, grow from seed and make it affordable.’
Her own home and garden in Waterfoot, which she shares with Abby, reflects that philosophy. It is modest in size but by using reclaimed materials, thoughtful planting and creativity, they have created a small oasis.
‘This morning I woke up, got a coffee, and sat in the garden. I love it. That’s who I am, doing jigsaws, planting seeds. It helps to slow my mind down,’ says Darcy, who works part-time at Plentiful Wholefoods in Ramsbottom to supplement her income while she continues to build her business.
Success at Malvern has already fuelled bigger ambitions, including one day writing a book to show younger generations there are many alternative career options if they are provided with the resources to find them, and more show gardens. ‘I’d love to get a Gold,’ she admits. But accolades are not what drive her. It is the opportunity to create places where people, wildlife and communities can flourish together.
‘I am just so lucky to be doing what I am doing. It is why I have cried with happiness coming back from clients’ houses. I get to go to lovely gardens and help people plant. It feels like this is what I was always supposed to do.’.
thegreenhouses.org
@earthtodarcy
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