Gardening Heroes

[alan refail]

Who are your gardening heroes? Who has inspired/influenced you the most, whether writers, presenters or family and friends?

My own list has to be headed by Joy Larckom. I first came across her in an article in the Sunday Times Colour Supplement (I still have it somewhere) in the early eighties.The article was about her work on salad vegetables and showed photos of her wonderful mixed salads. I got hold of a copy of her paperback Salads the Year Round (Hamlyn Paperbacks 1980) and followed this up with The Salad Garden (Frances Lincoln 1984). Then it was find and grow as many varieties as I could. And I have never stopped. Then when I was thinking of growing oriental vegetables, out comes her Oriental Vegetables. For me every word she says is gospel; her advice has never let me down.


Alan

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Alan, i'm afraid i was not lucky enough to have a Dad or grand-parents to inspire me, it was more of a necessity that got me into gardening, because when i was young if you wanted some pocket money you had to earn it.
Luckily the necessity has turned into a real pleasure through my life.

The late Harry Dodson was an amazing Head Gardener, and came across as a very pleasant fellow as well.

I think the biggest inspiration at the moment is yourself, you seem to be coming up with some very useful answers and websites.

[Angi]

My Dad, Geoff Hamilton, Christopher Lloyd, Joy Larkom and Dan Pearson!

[Gilly C]

My Grandad, My Dad, Geoff Hamilton and Geoffrey Smith he lived a few miles from our last house and was always giving talks locally sharing his knowledge

[Bren]

Geoffrey Smith he did an allotment programme from Manchester in the early 80's? as he walked up his allotment with a marrow on his shoulder he always hummed a tune called Piper in the Meadow, and for years he was on Radio Question time on Sunday afternoon.
Another gardener I liked was Arthur Billet, he used to do a programme from Kings Heath Park.
I'm going back a few years
Joy Larkom went to live in Co Cork a few years ago.
Bren

[Compo]

I did not get into gardening seriously until maybe ten years back, so my gardening heroes are modern ones, I like Mr T over Monty Don, Bob Flowerdew is inventive and recycles and is careful with water and I respect him for that. Never really saw Geoff Hamilton but everyone says he was the man on Gardener's world.

In the written world, Helen Yemm is my favourite in the Saturday Telegraph, her column 'Thorny Problems' is informative and true to life of how most of us garden.

My Dad got me into gardening cos like OH, as a Lad I needed pocket money so digging the allotment was one way of getting it. I hope that my son will enjoy gardening because he sees me at it, however, at the moment it is all homework, MSN Messenger and the Kaiser Chiefs, (who aren't half bad actually)

Compo

[Mole]

Old Bill (My Nan's boyfriend and allotmenteer)

Ruth Stout (Deep Hay Mulches in 50's USA)
Lawrence Hills (Obviously)
Newman Turner (Fertilty Pastures)
Joy Larkom (Of course)
Elliot Coleman (Ditto)


Bill Mollison/David Holmgren (Permaculture originators)
Patrick Whitefield (The Earth Care manual)

Bob Flowerdew (for telling it like it is)

John Seymour (Of course)
Geoff Hamilton (quite like my old PE teacher!)

Geoffrey Dutton (The Marginal Garden)
Beth Chatto
Christopher Lloyd

and of course...

Johnboy

[Cider Boys]

I don’t know whether I was fortunate or unfortunate to be sent at the age of 12 to the only secondary technical school of agriculture in the country. I endured it for 4 long hard years. It had a farm where we kept dairy and beef cattle together with sheep, pigs, chickens and rabbits. It also had an acre of walled gardens and several large glasshouses. For many years I have visited the school on their open days with a vintage tractor I restored many years ago. The farm now has organic status and I enjoy walking around the walled gardens where I have fond memories of cultivating the wonderful loamy soil. By their own admission they do not cultivate the kitchen gardens as intensively as in my days. (The organic namby pambies ). The teaching staff all seem very kind and the pupils appear to be on friendly terms with them. Not like in my day when the teachers hated me and I loathed them. I regularly received 6 strokes of the cane for being defiant and argumentative, I can’t understand why!

Nevertheless those years inspired me to study engineering and enjoy gardening.

I have added a section from their website in case other youths are interested in a rural education. I don’t know what it is like now, it certainly was not particularly academic but I learnt to drive a tractor!!!

BRYMORE SCHOOL of Rural Technology

Brymore is a Secondary Technical School providing a unique vocational experience exploiting pupil's interest in agriculture, horticulture and technology (including engineering). Although it looks like one, it is not a private school but a state boarding school for 200 boys between the ages of 13 and 17, set in 60 acres of parkland close to the Quantock Hills.
In 1951 Brymore was acquired by the Somerset County Council at a cost of £6,000 to establish a Secondary Technical School of Agriculture. The success of the school in its early days led to the acquisition of Cannington House - a boarding house in the village where older pupils sleep.
Unique then as now the only school of its type in the UK it continues to attract parents who are interested in a more vocational educational experience for their sons.
Facilities on Offer
There are basically four areas that make Brymore different from other secondary schools. The boys milk the dairy herd, rear pigs and beef cattle and look after the flocks of sheep and poultry also run the 60 acre working farm. This in addition to normal lessons - every boy takes his turn at doing 'farm duty' before and after school.
The commercial greenhouses, poly-tunnel and one acre walled garden, dating from 1753, not only supply fruit and vegetables to the School kitchens, but also contain individual plots for boys with strong horticultural interests. Flowerbeds and borders are planted and maintained around the school by pupils as part of their Horticultural studies.
The workshop complex is considered to be one of the finest in the Country. It contains specialist areas for wood, metal, plastics and control technology, as well as foundry and forges for budding blacksmiths. Brymore's curriculum embraces traditional craft skills as well as the most modern computer technology. In addition there is a vast number of evening classes, activities and trips available throughout the year.

Barney

[oldherbaceous]

What a very interesting piece, thanks for taking the time to send it.

[Compo]

One of Somerset's secret treasures I would say......

[Jenny Green]

I hope some youths are inspired by your post Barney. Unfortunately there is said to be a crisis in recruitment to agricultural and horticultural courses because the jobs are so poorly paid.
My heroes have already been mentioned but I'll echo other's sentiments: Geoffrey Smith (he was on Gardener's Question Time recently and it was lovely to hear his gentle, plain-speaking tones again); Bob Flowerdew for actually testing out the folklore of gardening rather than just taking it as gospel; Christopher Lloyd and Dan Pearson for thinking outside the box in gardening design (well, Dan Pearson for being a balm to an old girl's eyes after a long day, too!); and Carol Klein for knowledge and common sense.
Anti-heroes: Alan T (sorry, Grock, too orange); Monty Don (no eyebrows = scary); Chris Beardshaw (too pretty, and pretends to know about vegetable gardening when he doesn't); Rachel de Thame (is she still around?); and frighteningly trendy makeover garden designer woman -can't remember her name but she annoys the hell out of me.

[Johnboy]

Don't forget our very own magazines Sue Stickland.
I have followed her career and she is an amazing person. I have yet to read one word written by her that has not been good sound advice for us all.
My absolute hero is my grandfather who introduced me to all things growing but my mentor is the late Lawrence Hills who put so many ideas into my head over 50 years ago that when I contemplate doing something I always say to myself "Now what would Lawrence do" I do not think you can give anybody a higher accolade than that.
JB.

[peter]

My dad, oh and Geoffrey Smith.

[Sue]

Geoff Hamilton sparked me off - I used to love him for the way he would gently and simply explain how to do stuff and why that was the best way, without making it scary or patronising. He just made sense to me - I hate blindly following instructions when I don't understand the process.

My husband still smiles when he sees me potting up and other simple tasks cos he says he sees me doing things the Geoff way.

It led to an interest in growing things, that turned into a passion and eventually a complete career change.

Sue

[The Grock in the Frock]

do you all need to ask