The first show in the series is shown on BBC2 at 8.30pm on Friday.
Chris Collins profile is from bbc.co.uk
"The beauty of gardening is that it's a game of continual discovery. You could live ten lifetimes and still keep coming across new plants."
Chris Collins may be a new face to gardening programmes on television, but he is certainly not new to gardening. He started gardening when he was 17 years old and has never looked back.
Chris has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and was the head gardener at Westminster Abbey for three years. His love of gardening has even taken him as far afield as Japan and West Africa.
It is quite difficult to pin Chris down to naming a favourite plant. He has so many. He is always coming across new plants. As a result, his favourite plant is constantly changing.
When pushed he says: "The birch tree, it's hard to explain why, although the fantastic bark, top autumn colour and purple tinge in its branches in the colder winter weather all contribute.
"I love the way the crown's graceful hanging style makes it look so relaxed, and this has the same effect on me. Having spent time living overseas, the birch also reminds me of home."
Chris loves the way nature works and the interaction between plants. He says: "There is no greater garden than a rainforest. Plants are happier when they grow in association and in layers.
I love tier planting, it means you can maximise the amount of plants involved and they look happier when they're interacting. The traditional cottage-style of gardening is also close to my heart, as the emphasis is on plants."
Chris's best gardening experience was his first tree planting job at Brighton's parks department when he was a mere 17 years old. There is a magnificent line of Cornish elms along the front of Preston Park.
One of these had tragically died of Dutch elm disease and his job was to grub out the old rootball and plant a new Cornish elm in its place. Chris says: "This elm still grows on today, and it symbolises all that gardening means to me.
It was the start of what has turned out to be an amazing career and passion. I hold no shame in admitting that I visit it for a hug whenever time allows."
Chris lives in a block of flats, so his garden is restricted to a small balcony and a large collection of house plants.
His balcony is given over to a bedding display, as they provide maxim impact for a small space. If you walk down the street it's easy to spot which flat belongs to him - it's a blaze of colour.
During the World Cup he erected red and white hanging baskets, made up of impatiens and petunias in support of England's appearance.
The balcony garden connects to his living room, and as you come in through the French doors you enter a rainforest area, a mass of houseplants, both large and small, which create an excellent area to sit and relax in.
Chris hasn't always wanted to be a gardener. In fact, at the age of 16 he still wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He says: "I had a pretty negative view of the world when visiting the job centre - all I knew was that I definitely wasn't going to work indoors.
After two weeks of starting my apprenticeship [in gardening] I knew I'd found the trade for me, and I've never looked back. Life had dealt me a major favour, and I'm grateful."
Chris Collins profile is from bbc.co.uk
"The beauty of gardening is that it's a game of continual discovery. You could live ten lifetimes and still keep coming across new plants."
Chris Collins may be a new face to gardening programmes on television, but he is certainly not new to gardening. He started gardening when he was 17 years old and has never looked back.
Chris has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and was the head gardener at Westminster Abbey for three years. His love of gardening has even taken him as far afield as Japan and West Africa.
It is quite difficult to pin Chris down to naming a favourite plant. He has so many. He is always coming across new plants. As a result, his favourite plant is constantly changing.
When pushed he says: "The birch tree, it's hard to explain why, although the fantastic bark, top autumn colour and purple tinge in its branches in the colder winter weather all contribute.
"I love the way the crown's graceful hanging style makes it look so relaxed, and this has the same effect on me. Having spent time living overseas, the birch also reminds me of home."
Chris loves the way nature works and the interaction between plants. He says: "There is no greater garden than a rainforest. Plants are happier when they grow in association and in layers.
I love tier planting, it means you can maximise the amount of plants involved and they look happier when they're interacting. The traditional cottage-style of gardening is also close to my heart, as the emphasis is on plants."
Chris's best gardening experience was his first tree planting job at Brighton's parks department when he was a mere 17 years old. There is a magnificent line of Cornish elms along the front of Preston Park.
One of these had tragically died of Dutch elm disease and his job was to grub out the old rootball and plant a new Cornish elm in its place. Chris says: "This elm still grows on today, and it symbolises all that gardening means to me.
It was the start of what has turned out to be an amazing career and passion. I hold no shame in admitting that I visit it for a hug whenever time allows."
Chris lives in a block of flats, so his garden is restricted to a small balcony and a large collection of house plants.
His balcony is given over to a bedding display, as they provide maxim impact for a small space. If you walk down the street it's easy to spot which flat belongs to him - it's a blaze of colour.
During the World Cup he erected red and white hanging baskets, made up of impatiens and petunias in support of England's appearance.
The balcony garden connects to his living room, and as you come in through the French doors you enter a rainforest area, a mass of houseplants, both large and small, which create an excellent area to sit and relax in.
Chris hasn't always wanted to be a gardener. In fact, at the age of 16 he still wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He says: "I had a pretty negative view of the world when visiting the job centre - all I knew was that I definitely wasn't going to work indoors.
After two weeks of starting my apprenticeship [in gardening] I knew I'd found the trade for me, and I've never looked back. Life had dealt me a major favour, and I'm grateful."