Harvey Stephens' career has blossomed since he took over as head gardener at one of the UK's most important horticultural sites.

Harvey's CV is impressive for someone of just 29. He has worked in gardens in Israel, the Botanic Garden of Moscow University, The Eden Project in Cornwall and the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew in London.

He now heads the team at Borde Hill Garden, near Haywards Heath, which is internationally renowned for its collection of plants and trees.

During his time working in Russia, where he learned the language in his lunch breaks, he met his wife Nadia, a concert pianist who was taking a stroll through the gardens.

The couple have been married for six months and Nadia has just joined the Royal Academy of Music in London to continue her studies.

Harvey and Nadia moved to Sussex last April, when he was appointed head gardener. It was at the start of the foot-and-mouth crisis, which threatened to plunge Britain into disaster as huge swathes of countryside became out of bounds.

However, most of Borde Hill remained open and Harvey and the team continued the work at the centre.

He said: "There were some difficulties, like getting out in the woodlands, but most of the gardens remained open."

Borde Hill is home to some important species of plant and tree and the responsibility of heading the team taking care of the gardens is considerable.

He said: "It is extremely daunting but also extremely exciting."

One of his main aims will be to increase horticultural standards and the appearance of the historic gardens.

Harvey was born in Par, Cornwall, the home of the Eden Project, where he worked in his mother's garden and then odd-jobbing in gardens as a teenager.

He discovered he enjoyed the work and then secured a three-year apprenticeship at the County Demonstration Gardens, run by Cornwall County Council.

He then moved to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, where he studied for the Kew diploma in horticulture.

After graduating, he went to the Friends of Jerusalem University's botanic garden in Israel and then to the Botanic Garden of Moscow State University.

He said: "It was a green oasis in the middle of a capital city. I didn't speak Russian so they did take a gamble employing me but I learnt it in my lunch break."

He lived the Russian lifestyle in a block of flats for three years and met Nadia.

She shares his love of plants. He said: "She astounds me sometimes by throwing the Latin names of plants at me."

When the contract and project came to its end, he returned to England, where he joined the Eden Project on a short contract, after which he moved to Borde Hill.

Armed with the international experience and knowledge he has built up, he hopes to maintain and improve the garden's high standards.