Christine Helen Walkden was born on 7 April 1955 in Rishton, near Blackburn, Lancashire, England. Her parents ran a sports outfitter shop and had no interest in gardening. Her passion for plants ignited at age ten when she spotted a local allotment and nagged her parents until she was given a disused plot, growing flowers and vegetables she sold to neighbours and teachers.

At 13 she persuaded her headmaster to let her join a day-release horticultural course at her local college alongside 18-year-old adult students. She left school with a City & Guilds qualification in horticulture but no formal academic qualifications. She went on to gain her Ordinary National Diploma in Amenity Horticulture at Myerscough College and worked at two experimental horticultural stations before joining the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, at Wakehurst Place, managing the seed physiology unit. She later lectured at Capel Manor College in Enfield before spending 20 years as a lecturer and RHS tutor at Writtle College.

After becoming a freelance horticulturist, Christine’s natural communication skills on BBC Essex Radio and LBC led to television work. She appeared on ITV before moving to BBC’s Gardeners’ World. A former Writtle student suggested her to a BBC commissioning editor, and Christine’s Garden — a series about her own garden in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire was born. Her most celebrated series, Glorious Gardens From Above, saw her tour Britain’s finest gardens via hot air balloon in a pioneering 15-part series.

Christine lives in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, where her garden was the subject of her BBC series. She remains single and has no children. She has a Fellow of Myerscough College, an Honorary Doctorate from Writtle College/University of Essex, leads global garden tours, and continues to write, lecture, and broadcast actively.