Modern Cactus Explorations: Challenges, benefits and adventures.

Andrew has been passionate about succulent plants since a very early age, amassing over 40 years of practical experience in the cultivation of cacti.

He pursued his passion throughout his formative years and went on to study Botany at Gdansk University, Poland. In 2006 he decided to move to the UK to blend his scientific studies with practical horticulture. He followed study programmes to help develop horticultural skills in a botanical setting, first at Birmingham Botanical Garden, then onto the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, completing the Kew Diploma in Horticulture. These experiences crystallized his hopes for his career: to be actively involved in professional plant cultivation as a well-trained horitculturist with a good science background.

In September 2013, Andrews took the post of Curator of the Gibratlar Botanic Gardens, where for 10 years he worked on developing scientific collections with emphasis on succulent plants.

Currently Andrew is focusing on his PhD at the University of Reading: Taxonomy and biogeography of Caribbean cacti.

Andrew also organises and partakes in plenty of field work, so far, conducted in 26 countries, mainly the Americas. He believes that studying plants in their native habitats is the best way to understand the cultivation, ecology, and taxonomy of any group of plants.

Host or Publisher Kew Mutual Improvement Society