“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom”

MARCEL PROUST

Gardening shouldn’t be this hard…

...should it? I really don’t think so. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to guide as many people as I possibly can on the journey to unearth their inner gardener. Because for whatever reason you’ve found yourself here – whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by options, bewildered by jargon, or you just don’t know how to begin fitting your garden around your busy life – it’s my belief that you, too, have a built-in sense of how to grow and tend a garden. It’s just that modern life has a habit of prioritising other things, and quietening down our natural instincts.

I can make gardening feel as easeful, joyful, and rewarding as you know deep down it’s meant to be.

garden coaching, tailored to you

Working at your own pace, I’m here to guide, motivate, and inspire you every step of the way. I’ll help you to focus upon what’s most important to you on your gardening journey, and you’ll learn more about how your garden grows, as well as how you can partner with nature to create a space that truly complements the way you want to be living life, relaxing, and enjoying the time you spend in and around your home.   

Close-up of tangled, thin branches with small pink flowers and buds, some with dried dark petals, against a blurred light background.

You are the most excellent cheerleader! Genuinely, thank you – your gardening coaching has been amazing, your advice and encouragement truly invaluable. I feel like I’ve learned so much even over just the last couple of months.

AMY IN DUMFRIES

Profile of a middle-aged man with gray beard and hair, looking to the left, against a wooden background.
Logo for 'Garden Coaching with Andrew Timothy O'Brien' in red and black text.

getting to know your garden coach aka why you might want us to work together

I’m Andrew – a writer, gardener, podcaster and, most importantly, a seasoned garden coach with clients across three continents. And I’m very much looking forward to explaining how garden coaching could help you, and telling you about the various ways we can work together. But if you’ve just discovered me from my book, or my instagram, or from something I’ve written in the gardening press, then I’d recommend checking out some of my free content before you sign up for coaching. It’s a really good way of working out if my approach to gardening is one that you personally find engaging, so I can be as helpful, inspiring and encouraging as possible. This next section is for you.

gardening inspiration

A man with a beard and a ring on his finger is examining and tending to a pot of ivy outdoors.
podcast

The Gardens, Weeds & Words podcast,
“A lyrical celebration of the joy of gardening” The Sunday Times

A man with curly hair and a beard looking down, wearing a textured sweater and jeans, standing at the door of a greenhouse.
newsletter

News and seasonal planting highlights to watch out for, with a monthly list of things to do in your garden

A man working in a tangled, winter flowerbed, wearing a sweater and gloves, surrounded by branches and foliage.
substack

For behind-the-scenes tales from my own garden, come along over the Bramble & Briar on Substack

A man with curly gray hair, beard, and glasses sits at a table with a colorful gardening book titled 'To Stand and Stare'. The man is wearing a black shirt, a watch, and a ring, and is resting his head on his hand while looking intently at the book.

To Stand And Stare: how to garden while doing next to nothing

by Andrew Timothy O’Brien

Fresh and gently radical... a manifesto for a new way of looking at your garden, perfect for this moment in time, and very appealing indeed
GARDENS ILLUSTRATED

A permission-granting manual to refreshingly hands-off horticulture
THE NEW STATESMAN

BUY MY BOOK

let’s work together

Something wonderful happens when you learn how to be more in tune with your garden – at the same time, you learn how to be more in tune with yourself.

I strongly believe that, no matter how removed we feel from it now, we were all born with a deep connection to the earth and to nature. There’s a gardener buried somewhere deep within every one of us.

If you’re looking for support in becoming the gardener you know you’re really meant to be, then garden coaching might well be for you. Find out here about the ways we can work together.

Close-up of pink and purple flowers on tall green stems in a garden.

Such a fun and inspiring coaching programme! Andrew is really encouraging, positive and friendly. Like having the most knowledgeable gardening friend just an email away!

LOUISE IN MANCHESTER

come and find me on instagram

Ooh, it's frosty out there this morning. And no, I haven't been out with my camera yet. Have to do grown up things like make breakfast and defrost the car. (Oh, and post to the gram!) Also, I unwisely gave myself a haircut at the weekend and now my
Christmas gets all the glory – well, Thanksgiving in the US, too – but to me it always feels as though nature parties right through the whole back end of the year, ending with glistenings and twinklings, but starting here, with
I know I can bang on a bit about how generally fabulous October is, but I can never quite get over the light. And Wednesday was dull and grey, almost as if the weather knows that too much of a good thing might be injurious to what's left of my sanity
A bright and definitive start to autumn today. I marked the occasion by digging up the acanthus that’s been sitting in the same spot for about twenty years, only bothering to flower on three occasions. I think I’ve been more than patient
Been playing with weedy and seedy things. Summer’s end, though some of these – the docks, the aquilegias – have been standing proudly in the beds for months, while others – lemon balm, althaea – have more recently gone o
It’s our good fortune to live no more than a short drive from a number of fabulous and noteworthy gardens, not least among them those at @greatcompgarden. It’s a historic Kent property, so unsurprisingly not without its own Vita link, and
autumn. There, I said it. Though of course, it’s not really autumn yet, unless you’re particularly wedded to the neatness of the meteorological calender in which case, yes, it’s the first day of September, and so absolutely it&rsq