Horticultural Journalist and Editor
Wisley Trainee, Certificate Course 1974–1976
Graham's father was Assistant Superintendent of Regents Park in London. They lived in a tied cottage in the centre of the Park. Graham used to tell his friends, who he only saw at school, ‘that he had a small house in London but with a 600 acre garden!'
His father was a flower man, designing the bedding schemes in the Park and helping to design the bedding around Buckingham Palace and The Mall in the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations (1977).
Seeing his father’s interesting career, Graham thought he’d like to follow suit and together they discussed the various training options and decided upon Wisley. His father had a contact, Bob Legge, who had been a student at Wisley in 1966 and recommended it! So in September 1973 aged just 17, Graham left home to embark upon his new life.
At the time, the School of Horticulture had just changed from the Diploma to the Certificate Scheme for school leavers so it was quite a challenge. Graham’s first assignment was to Battleston Hill where he had to work with the then foreman, Wilf Halliday, who was not easy. Having had a sheltered upbringing, Graham found this difficult and nearly gave up but his father persuaded him to continue.
All the trainees lived in the then hostel called Aberconway House, Graham sharing a room overlooking Seven Acres in his first year with all meals provided. There were also four female trainees on the course who were very popular, a snooker room and library and although it was hard work, he really grew up at Wisley.
Graham enjoyed writing his 10,000 word thesis on silver foliage plants, this being the first time he’d done any proper writing in such depth, though he struggled to keep up to date with his diary, sometimes having to catch up on Sunday afternoons.
He enjoyed the course and it equipped him for his future, initially in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, for the Royal Parks, then into Central Parks Nursery where he took more than 10,000 geranium cuttings and helped with interior displays, including in the Houses of Parliament.
Journalism came after his father saw an advertisement for a sub-editor on Amateur Gardening magazine. He applied and found that 28 years later, after seeing that initial advert in Horticulture Week (then Gardener’s Chronicle), he was editing Horticulture Week himself! Editing other magazines for a while, he now writes freelance contributing to publications including Horticulture Week and Amateur Gardening.
In conclusion, Graham feels that if he had not gone to Wisley, he would not have achieved as much and will always be grateful, and viewing horticulture as a huge intricate web, Wisley is very much at the centre.