Tom Hart Dyke

Thomas Guy Hart Dyke (born 12 April 1976) is an English horticulturist, author and plant hunter from the Hart Dyke family. He is the son and heir of Guy and Sarah Hart Dyke at the family seat of Lullingstone Castle, Eynsford, Kent. He is the designer of the World Garden of Plants located on the property. The World Garden contains approximately 8,000 species of plants, many collected by Hart Dyke from their native environments. He presented an episode of Great British Garden Revival in 2013. Tom Hart Dyke is a patron of the charity the British Cactus & Succulent Society.

Early life Hart Dyke attended Anthony Roper County Primary School in Eynsford and then transferred to St Michael's School in Otford. He attended Stanbridge Earls in Hampshire until age seventeen and then entered Sparsholt College Hampshire, near Winchester, where he studied tree surgery and forestry.

Hart Dyke wrote about his experiences in Colombia in his book, The Cloud Garden. The story of his kidnapping ordeal was dramatised in the Sky1 documentary series My Holiday Hostage Hell.

World Garden of Plants On his return home, Hart Dyke put his design into practice in the family's Victorian herb garden. The story of the creation of The World Garden of Plants was the subject of a BBC2 6-episode series, "Save Lullingstone Castle" (KEO Films) in 2006. This was followed by a second six-episode series, "Return To Lullingstone Castle" on BBC2 in 2007.

In May 2006, Hart Dyke brought an Australian Eucalyptus caesia plant, common name Silver Princess, to flower for the first time in the UK. He was inspired by orchids at his first school, St Michaels, Otford, Kent.

The garden features include the Hot & Spikey house which contains over 1,000 varieties of cacti, succulents & bromeliads from all over the world. Hart Dyke is a patron of the charity the British Cactus & Succulent Society.

Personal life Hart Dyke is first cousin of the English comedian Miranda Hart and nephew of Captain David Hart Dyke, who was commanding officer of when it was sunk by the Argentinians in the 1982 Falklands conflict.