About Christopher
 Horticulturist - Herbalist - Plant Steward
From Seed to Medicine: My Life with Healing Plants
You’re here because you know the plants have something to offer – something that’s more than capsules, creams, and labels.
Maybe you've used medicinal herbs, but never grown them yourself. Or maybe you've tried, but you're still unsure how to bring these living medicines fully into your daily life.
You want guidance you can trust - that’s grounded in experience, not hype.
That’s exactly what I offer.
Help for people - from home gardeners to professional herbalists - to grow, understand, and connect deeply with medicinal herbs.
Whether it's pots on a city balcony, planning a large herb garden, or looking to incorporate fresh herbs into your health practice, I’ll show you how to grow and work with these plants with confidence, care, and reverence.
My Story
A kind gift from my Aunty and Uncle
It started with a few gifted plants from my Uncle and Aunty when I was a teenager in the 1970’s. The plants took root - not just in the soil, but in me.
The plants needed a home so I built my shade house by hand with simple tools, not knowing anything really only I wanted to grow plants.
P.S. I'm in the photo on the left of my Uncle Jack (Cream shirt)
Adelaide Botanic Garden - my training begins...
Later, while working as a horticulturist at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, I watched a senior gardener treat a cut on his hand using Comfrey.
A powerful herb with hundreds of years of folk usage as a healing agent.
Seeing the result opened the door to a deeper understanding: these weren’t just plants - they were healers.
They had something to teach us, if we were willing to listen.
My credibility
These moments were catalytic.  Since then, I’ve spent over 50 years growing, studying, harvesting, preparing, and sharing the wisdom of plants and especially medicinal herbs.
My Credibility
Qualified Herbalist and Horticulturist with 50+ years’ experience
Teacher and guide to growers - from beginners to professionals
A trusted source of practical, honest advice
Focused on real plants, real seasons, real life
A plant that guides me...
One plant I return to again and again is Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum).
Learning about it from Matthew Woods “Book of Herbal Wisdom’ inspired me to source and patiently grow this plant over years.
Strong, graceful, and deeply restorative
to our joints, it reminds me that healing isn’t always loud or flashy - it often comes through quiet, consistent care and connection.
That’s how I teach. That’s how I live.
People often say, “I’ve never met anyone so passionate about plants,” or “You’ve opened my eyes to how much there is to know - and how it
all connects.”
Next Steps...
My style is honest, warm, practical, and enthusiastic. No theatrics.
No gimmicks.
Just decades of hard-earned herbal wisdom shared with in a down-to-earth way with respect, heart, and clarity.
If this speaks to you – Welcome friend.
We need more people growing and protecting medicinal herbs -
not just using them. If that’s you, I’m here to support you.
Christopher Smith
Tinderry Mountain Herbs
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