| James Wong | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Wong 23 June 1981 |
| Occupation | Ethnobotanist, Television presenter, Garden designer |
James Wong is an ethnobotanist, television presenter and garden designer in the United Kingdom,[1] best known for presenting the television series Grow Your Own Drugs and reporting on Countryfile.
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Born in London to a British mother and Malaysian father, Wong was raised in Singapore and Malaysia. Upon being awarded an academic scholarship, he returned to the UK in 1999 to study at the University of Bath. He then trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the University of Kent, gaining a Master of Science degree in Ethnobotany, graduating with distinction.
At the age of 27, Wong became the presenter of his own television series Grow Your Own Drugs. The award-winning BBC Two series demonstrates a number of natural remedies sourced from plants.,[2] and soon became the highest-rated gardening series on UK television. At the time of writing the show has run to two seasons, as well as a one-off Christmas special, Grow Your Own Christmas. Wong has also authored the two best-selling books that tie-in with each series of the television show.[3]
Wong is also a regular reporter on the hit BBC One rural affairs series Countryfile since its reformatting in April 2009. He has also appeared in a BBC documentary film of the making of his 2010 Chelsea garden "James Wong and the Malaysian Garden" as well as BBC's Gardeners' World, The Delicious Miss Dahl, and on BBC Breakfast.
In his capacity as a garden designer, he has become a four-time Royal Horticultural Society RHS medal winner[4] for gardens he co-designed through the design studio he co-founded, Amphibian Designs, at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. In his first garden the 2004 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, he became the yougest-ever medal-winning designer at the event, and is currently the youngest 4-time RHS medal winner.[5]
Wong has designed an Ethnobotanical Garden for the University of Kent, where he is a guest lecturer.[6]
His research has taken him to highland Ecuador, as well as to China and Java.
Wong lives in Twickenham, South West London. He speaks fluent Spanish, English and Mandarin Chinese.