James Wong
Ethnobotanist, TV presenter and garden designer
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About James Wong
James Wong is a highly skilled speaker; his speeches are full of fascinating facts so not only are audiences entertained but they leave brimming with information. Determined to bring new life to an old genre, he has a raw passion and an untamable sense of adventure. They are infectious and make him a unique blend of explorer, anthropologist, gardener, and always, ethnobotanical adventurer.
James Wong’s first prime time show ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ aired on BBC2 in 2008. In the 6 part series James cooked up homemade herbal remedies, offering an alternative to over the counter medicines for a variety of common ailments, as well as some great beauty fixes to make you feel fabulous. The 2nd series of this hugely successful show ran in 2009 and James also filmed ‘Grow Your Own Christmas’ a one hour special of yuletide goodness which aired in the run up to Christmas the same year. James had 2 best selling books published alongside the TV series, ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ and ‘A Year With James Wong.’
He joined BBC1’s ‘Countryfile’ team when the show moved to its new Sunday evening slot in April 2009 and has presented films on extreme tree hunting, guerrilla gardening, mistletoe auctions and everything in between. In 2011 James co-presented BBC2’s ‘Our Food’ where he journeyed across Britain to discover how our landscape, history and climate have shaped what food we grow and where we grow it.
In 2008 James was one of BBC4/2’s ‘Fossil Detectives’ going in search of plant fossils to help unlock the secrets of our past using Amber and Jet, as well as appearing on ‘Gardeners’ World’, ‘The Chelsea Flower Show’, Channel 4’s ‘Richard & Judy’, ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’ on ITV and ‘BBC Breakfast’. James is also a RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winning garden designer .
James’ book, ‘James Wong’s Homegrown Revolution’ was published in 2012 and continues to sell brilliantly. This modern take on growing your own is inspiring urban farmers both old and new to try their hand at something different. He has a complimentary seed range with Suttons Seeds.
