Horticulture is sometimes thought of as simply being concerned with the design and management of private gardens. But the discipline has a crucial role to play in the fight against climate change, alum Richard Barley says.
“You can’t do all these things to save the planet unless you have people who can actually grow the plants,” he says.
“They are central to the whole picture. So, the profession of horticulture - certainly in the UK, and many parts of the world - has shifted and diversified.”
At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richard is in charge of managing the daily operations, horticulture school and public engagement programs at the largest and most complex botanic gardens in the world.
“It’s hard not to be reminded of the gardens’ importance,” Richard says of his workdays. “Sometimes I’ll walk past the Palm House, for example, stop and think to myself, hang on a second, this is the most extraordinary and beautiful of conservatories. And I’m so lucky to be working in the same place!”
In June 2023, Richard’s 40-year career at the forefront of horticulture was recognised when he was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday honours list.
Richard Barley MBE with King Charles III at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Image credit: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
“He is a great supporter of Kew Gardens,” Richard says of King Charles, who is famously passionate about sustainability.
“Still, it was completely unexpected, and I did think when the very official-looking envelope arrived, oh God, another bill! I had to read it about three times before it sank in.”
A passion for plants
Growing up, Richard was “always more comfortable outdoors than indoors,” he says. His passion for plants led him to join the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1980. But after a stint working indoors at the Gardens’ Herbarium, he realised he wanted to get back outside and learn about “growing things”.
He enrolled in a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus, then known as Burnley College.
“It had a reputation as the best place to attend in the southern hemisphere,” he says. “From day one, we were straight into it. It was hard work for three-and-a-half years, but really rewarding.”
Richard’s time at university coincided with a developing recognition of the value of landscapes in horticulture, and the importance of environmental horticulture to broader sustainability efforts.
“There was growing recognition of the importance of weaving in conservation with traditional horticulture, and how you curate habitats.”
After receiving his degree, he continued working at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, where he was the Director until 2010, when he was appointed the new Chief Executive of Open Gardens Australia.
In 2013, Richard relocated with his family to the UK, to take up the mantle of Director of Horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, where he has remained ever since.
Creating more resilient landscapes
As Director of Gardens, Richard is “continually inspired” by the passions of the students and younger generations of horticulturists he works with.
“It’s a really exciting time to be in the field, there’s a lot of fabulous work going on: figuring out how to grow certain things that are difficult to grow, conserving seeds, establishing environments that store the most carbon.
“How do you quantify all of that? How do we make more resilient, planted landscapes for the future? All of that is part of horticulture. Unsurprisingly, given the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, people with good horticulture skills are right at the heart of it.”
The historic Kew site was originally two royal properties that were later joined together and opened to the public. “George III lived here on and off, when [famed botanist] Joseph Banks was here as the first unofficial director. So, there’s a really rich history.”
Today, the Gardens welcome millions of visitors a year. They are also home to cutting-edge environmental science. The Gardens’ Wakehurst site, for example, hosts the Millennium Seedbank, an underground collection devoted to preserving a staggering 2.4 billion seeds from around the world.
“Sometimes it comes down to saving the very last plant species,” Richard says. “It might be extinct in the wild, and we have the only growing stock of it here. The very first priority is ensuring it doesn’t die. It’s as simple as that.
“At the other end of the scale, we have an orchid festival currently underway in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. It’s an annual event that brings fabulous colour and life to what can be a gloomy London winter.”
Staying connected
In recent years, Richard has connected with the University of Melbourne’s United Kingdom Alumni Association. The group’s events have offered him the chance to “hear familiar accents” and talk with accomplished professionals from many areas of life.
“The quality of people when I was at Burnley was without parallel, it was a really interesting time,” he says, and reflects that there are some “remarkable people” across the University’s alumni community.
“It really does make one feel quite honoured to be in their company.”