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The
gardens benefit from plantings in the Williams's time, such as a
huge American tulip tree, together with Roy's own collections grown
from seeds provided by gardening colleagues around the world.
The climate is very warm, almost frost-free, and the soil is free
draining, so is ideal for plants from the southern hemisphere, such
as those collected by Roy during his two stints at Kirstenbosch in
South Africa. There are plants too from Tasmania (more than 50
varieties of eucalyptus blended in with the rest of the planting),
New Zealand and Chile. The wildflowers in spring, with naturalised
cyclamens, primroses, bluebells and foxgloves, together with
wildlife, such as badgers, herons, deer and seals in the river, give
the garden a semi-wild feel: "maritime with a woodland
edge" as Roy describes it.
In December 1999 the Greenway estate was offered to the National
Trust by Mrs Hicks, and the Trust hopes to raise £1.1m to repair
and restore the garden and its listed buildings, which include a
boat house and a bath house. Roger hopes that this
"horticultural treasure" will go from strength to strength
under the new stewardship.
So how did Roger get to land such a plum job?
For Roger, master plantsman, gardening is in the blood. Some of his
earliest memories are of his Dutch grandfather's rose nursery in
Surrey. His family settled near Woking, then the main horticultural
area for London, and Roger remembers playing under the huge
rhododendrons of Slocock's nursery.
So the seed was sown, and he jumped at the opportunity to work for
Lady Anne Palmer (at no pay) at her beautiful Rosemoor Gardens (now
the Royal Horticultural Society's garden) in Torrington, Devon, in
the early 1980s. A one-year NCH course at Cannington, under Roy
Cheek followed, where Roger came out top of his year, and with a
wealth of practical experience and inspiring colleagues to exchange
ideas with.
After Cannington, Roger spent nearly two years at Grenville College
in Bideford, combining working in the school's Italian garden with
coaching athletics (another of his great loves). While there he
discovered Britain's tallest and broadest Cupressus macrocarpa
(cypress tree) in the grounds, although unfortunately the tree blew
down in the gales of 1990.
From there it was but a short leap to Greenway Gardens, working for
Mr and Mrs Anthony Hicks. "On the day of the interview there
was a magic blue-green light on the river and someone was singing
opera out on a barge. That really set the scene, so I decided to go
for it!"
And what of his goals for the future?
"I would like to go on collecting and I'm currently learning
Japanese because I would love to go there, hunting for plants - the
flowering cherries and the autumn colours, for example. I really
enjoy the horticultural networking around the world too."
Despite his obvious passion for plants, he has wide-ranging
interests from athletics to old sports cars, but keeps gardening to
the fore - "something
I know I can be good at". Favourite
plant family? Iridaceae - gladiolus, iris and crocus. Favourite
garden? Greenway - it's wonderful!
Greeenway Gardens, Churston Ferrers, Devon 01803 842382 |
