BRADFORD-BASED actor and writer Kamal Kaan has another passion - horticulture. here, we ask him how that interest developed.
Q: When did you first become interested in horticulture?
A: As a child I didn’t realise how much I was learning about horticulture: I’d watch and help my mum grow lots of vegetables in our tiny backyard in BD3. She grew all these veg like black spinach and giant Bangladeshi kumra (fig leaf gourd) the size of melons that were so unusual. I remember the excitement of watching things grow from a tiny seed to a giant veg. In addition to the joy eating the delicious produce, my mum used to work on the rice fields of Bangladesh, so the love of horticulture and agriculture has been imprinted in my genes.
Q: What prompted you to sign up for a horticulture course at Shipley College and how long is it?
A: Having moved to Saltaire, I was walking though the village one day and spotted some greenhouses attached onto the side of the Shipley College building. I was intrigued. I’d been to Saltaire many times, but had never seen these, shyly tucked behind the side streets. I googled courses at Shipley college and - lo and behold - they did a Level 3 (BTEC) in horticulture. Excitedly, I rang up admissions department and they told me they had not even begun enrolling yet and I was the first name on the list. I then got a call from the tutor Helena Glassup and was instantly attracted to the course, notably, she had the same name of my favourite character from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and loved the link between my passion for literature and love of horticulture.
Q: What have you learnt so far that has been of great use to you in your own garden?
A: The course has been wonderful. We have been learning all about pruning, propagation, seeding, horticulture history, binomial nomenclature, along with my work experience placement at the stunning grounds of East Riddlesden Hall; and we also got to design, build and compete at Harrogate Flower show earlier this year. All the knowledge has been applicable to my own little garden - which has been an experimentation bed of things I’ve learnt at college like how to prune roses, wisteria and fruit trees.
Q: How did your team work together to come up with the design for Harrogate Flower Show? Do you all have different strengths that you worked towards?
A: Harrogate Flower Show was epic. We worked in teams at college, myself and my two classmates Emma Hudson and Annmarie Dixon came up with the concept of a border made up of all the dye plants that could be used to dye wool. This combined our interests in fashion and the textile heritage of Bradford. We delegated tasks and I took the lead on drawing and submitting the design, Emma and Annmarie researched the plants, grew dye plants from seed and even dyed the wool. We than all built the border together in Harrogate - we were up against the clock and battling the elements to get it built in time for it to be judged. The frames we used were handmade by Annmarie's boyfriend Adam, a carpenter. We were over the moon to be awarded five stars for our border. Sections of our award-winning border will be transplanted and showcased on campus at Shipley College.
Q: What has been the most interesting part of the course? And the most challenging?
A: It has been such a delight being a student again and getting to do things like having school dinners - it makes me feel like a kid again. The only thing that’s missing is jam roly-poly with custard. The course is taught in the Exhibition Building in Saltaire, which a is grand Victorian building built by Titus Salt. The sandstone and architectural style reminds me of Cambridge, where I did my BA in architecture.
We are so lucky in Bradford to have such amazing facilities on our doorstep. There’s a also a growing nursery, poly-tunnels and of course Roberts Park, which we used for one of our assessed assignments. The course also offers a fee waiver scheme which makes it accessible for people from low income backgrounds. The most challenging part of the course has been managing time around my other commitments, but going into college once a week is a welcomed change to my hectic week.
Q: What are your plans when you complete the course?
A: It’s a two-year, part-time course, of which I have one year left. Once completed I intend to find ways to bring my passion for the arts and horticulture together. We had to set career goals at college and one of mine was to be the first British-Bangladeshi Bradfordian presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World.
Q: What are your plans for your garden this year? Are your growing any crops to eat alongside flowers?
A: For my own garden, I’m still working on what suits the environment. I’ve been growing some veg indoors like chillies. I grew passionflower last year - the flowers were beautiful, but sadly no fruit. I’m excited to see whether the wisteria and jasmine will bloom again this year - scented flowers bring me so much joy and the fragrance attracts passers-by.
Q: Will you combine horticulture with work as a playwright? Will it inspire you to write a play based around the subject?
A: I’m looking for way in which I can bring my playwrighting and horticulture together. I’m currently working on a project about the history of tea (Camellia sinensis ) with artist Nick Ellwood for the Migration Museum in London. I would love to write columns for gardening magazines and also look at the diverse gardeners throughout history to inspire my next piece of fictional work. It’s allowed me to meet other like-minded people. Who knows, it might even bring a horticultural love story my way to write about.
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