Christine's Garden a green heaven

Christine Walkden wants to retire to the Ribble Valley

Quite where Christine Walkden got her green fingers from, she's not sure. Growing up in a terrace house in Rishton, she didn't have a sprawling garden and no one in the family had any inclination towards anything remotely horticultural.

At the age of ten, though, she got it into her head to get herself a small allotment. And her future career took off. On leaving school, her passion for gardening was nurtured at Bilsborrow's Myerscough College and she's been getting her hands dirty ever since.

A broadcasting and writing career also blossomed. She has presented Gardeners' World on television as well as her own show Christine's Garden - she has written two accompanying books - and she is now a regular face on The One Show.

I'm paid to do the thing I love; who's got the jam and the cake? Christine Walkden

"I've never done anything else and I'm 50. I've been so lucky. I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I was very young and I've been able to keep doing it," she said.

She is still pinching herself at her success. "I still don't get it. I'm just an ordinary gardener doing ordinary things. I'm amazed at the response Christine's Garden got; it seemed to touch people's lives."

Trips to the supermarket have never been the same since the series: she is besieged by gardening queries from fans whenever she goes out. Not that she minds. "I'm paid to do the thing I love; who's got the jam and the cake?" she smiled.

The One Show contributor is delighted with her Gold Award

It's not just the jam and the cake; Christine also has a Gold Award from the Association of Colleges for her work as plantswoman and horticulturalist. Previous recipients include Stephen Fry, Natasha Kaplinsky and Alan Titchmarsh. Myerscough College nominated her for the prestigious award.

Christine was brimming over with the honour. "I'm absolutely thrilled. It's very special to be acknowledged in this way, especially 30 years after studying there and to find myself among such famous winners."

Christine was to have been presented with the award at the House of Commons. But, ironically as the award was partly for her community work, she had a prior engagement at Garstang Millennium Green and couldn't let them down - nor miss out on a visit to her home county.

She may live down south and have a jet-set life but she hasn't forgotten her Lancashire roots. Indeed, she intends to retire to the Ribble Valley. She misses the friendliness of the people and the beauty of the countryside, particularly around the Trough of Bowland, which she describes as "one of the most beautiful places on earth".

QUICK QUESTIONS Your favourite Lancashire garden? Cobble Hey Farm near Garstang. "The owners are very enthusiastic and are so involved in the community; they really bring it together." Stranded on a desert garden - your 10 must-have items? Veggies, trees, shrubs, secateurs, spade, fork, watering can, garden line, decent bench and Willow Top tips for people with small gardens? Put as much stuff in as you can and keep it well fed and watered. Size is no excuse - there's plenty you can grow in window boxes

Christine Walkden says she doesn't get time to watch TV or read; she is too busy making her own TV appearances, writing books and tending to her clients' gardens. "I eat, drink and sleep horticulture," she says. After a long, hard day, what does she do to unwind? Well, she has her own garden which is 175ft by 35ft to look after. "I'm happiest when I'm in the garden. I'm always experimenting. I need to be up to date and I try stuff out there first.

"My idea of heaven? Sitting on my garden bench, eating my breakfast with my dog Willow at my feet comes pretty close," she smiled.

"But actually getting back to work on a warm, sunny morning among all the flowers and the shrubs and watching the butterflies and the birds - that really is heaven!"