Its a little known fact horticulture is one of the largest industries in the UK covering myriad careers from gardeners, growers and greenkeepers to garden designers, garden historians and garden writers.

And with issues facing the planet such as climate change, a vastly-increasing population size and pressures on the uses of land, horticulture may soon become one of the most important industries of all.

On more than one occasion, gardeners and horticulturists have come out on top in surveys to find the country's happiest workers. However, many young people nowadays may not see it as a viable career path thanks to its unfortunate reputation as an option for the less able or less intelligent. This is simply not true.

While horticulture will never make you rich, it is an extremely interesting and rewarding career which only really asks for your passion and dedication in return.

Perhaps it is for this reason that not everyone starts a career in horticulture straight out of school or college. My education and rise through the ranks was peppered with lawyers, bankers and architects (to name but a few) that made the decision later in life to quit the daily rat race and pursue a career in a common interest – plants.

I, myself, had decided upon a career as a pilot (and was well on my way to getting my private licence when I changed direction) until at the age of 20, I discovered I could turn a hobby and interest into my career.

For those thinking of pursuing a career in horticulture, check out the courses on offer at Glasgow Botanic Gardens and Glasgow Clyde College. Closer to home, the Hermitage Park Regeneration Project intends to encourage the use of the park as a location for education and learning (with links to the RHS) and to inspire the next generation through the establishment of strong links with local schools through the curriculum and after school clubs. There is no better time to be a young person in Helensburgh with a hunger for horticulture.

That said, many of my RHS classes were filled with retirees and stay at home mums that weren’t starting a career in horticulture but instead had taken up classes to further their education of plants, gardening and growing.

Plants are extremely important in every day life from filling our bellies, to improving the appearance of our neighbourhoods to providing oxygen for the planet and anything that we can do whether it be this or the next generation, amateur or professional, in our own gardens or in a botanic garden, is a valuable effort and time well spent improving our world.