David Crompton, interested in plants for as long as he can remember, abandoned a career in finance in the City of London to devote himself to his nursery, Drysdale Garden Exotics, in Hampshire. There, he benefits from a maritime cool-temperate climate favouring a rich variety of bamboos and various other exotic-looking plants. In his garden he holds the National Collection of bamboos in the United Kingdom, a living reference library of species and cultivars, dedicated to their uses in the garden and their conservation.