Lee Burkhill was born on 15 February 1983 in Lancashire, England. He grew up with his grandfather who was an allotment gardener and acquired experience in taking care of flowers and growing vegetables. Gardening served as his sanctuary, enabling him to handle difficulties including bullying at school. Details about his parents are not widely documented in public sources.

Having been a Senior (Prince Practitioner Certified) Project Manager in IT for 12 years, Lee became frustrated at working on slow-moving projects and yearned to unleash his hidden creative side. Lee qualified in Horticulture at RHS Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. He started his garden design business Garden Ninja Ltd in 2014 as well as his very popular blog and YouTube channel.

His breakthrough came in 2016 when he won the RHS & BBC Feel Good Garden competition, propelling him into the spotlight. In 2021, Lee joined the garden designers on Garden Rescue Series 6, a little earlier than fellow new designers Flo Headlam and Chris Hull, who joined for Series 7 in 2022.

Lee Burkhill is married to his husband, Ryan. The couple lives in Lancashire, England, where they share their life with two Border Terriers. He is also a public speaker for the RHS as well as a panellist on BBC Radio Manchester.