He is an active member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society and the American Hosta Society, and has assumed leadership roles in both organizations. Michael regularly lectures on hostas in North America and Europe, and is an avid hybridizer as well. With his wife, Kathy, he often leads tours of private gardens throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1996, Mike retired from London's Metropolitan Police after thirty-two years of service and has rarely sat down since. As a police officer he served in many parts of London including Soho, Whitechapel, and at Scotland Yard. He now gardens in Western New York where with his wife he maintains a large collection of modern cultivars and a garden devoted to small hostas.