Flo Headlam’s parents came from the Caribbean and gave her an early insight into gardening as they grew their own produce. She wrote: “As a child we had a ‘growing culture’ in our household. My parents came from the Caribbean and grew up in the countryside growing their own produce. So they brought that habit with them to England.”

She initially studied African Studies at the London School of Oriental and African Studies before becoming a dancer and then spending two decades in charity work, including for Comic Relief. In 2012 she started work in the gardening industry, going on to obtain a Diploma in Garden Design at Capel Manor College, Regent’s Park, London in 2017.

Whilst balancing a young family, an emerging new self-employed career, and continuing horticulture studies at Capel Manor College, the opportunity came to join the presentation team on BBC Gardeners’ World. Flo presented the show for three years from 2017–2019. Leaving Gardeners’ World during the COVID-19 lockdown to concentrate on private clients, she was subsequently approached by Spungold TV to join the Garden Rescue team, which she joined in 2022.

Flo has two daughters and lives in Bromley, England. She is currently a patron at the Green Hub Project for Teens and a trustee at the Vital Beats charity, and is involved in several community gardening initiatives in the London area.