|
|
|
|
Who am I?
What do I do? Where do I come from?
|
 |
Apprentice Gardener, Rawtenstall Parks Department, |
|
Allotment Officer, Tameside Recreation Department, |
|
Gardens Superintendent, Blackburn Health Authority, |
|
Leisure Park Manager, Hornsey Pottery, Lancaster, |
|
Senior Gardens Manager, Basingstoke Health Board, |
|
District Grounds Superintendent, Grampian Health District, Aberdeen, |
Training:
Full time training for 4 years at the Lancashire Collage of Agriculture, Preston. Part time and day release training courses undertaken at Burnley and Salford colleges.
Qualifications:
|
National Diploma in Amenity Horticulture, |
|
National Certificate in Horticulture, |
|
City & Guilds Horticulture, |
|
City & Guilds Horticultural Machinery, |
|
Certificated Gardeners qualification, |
|
Royal Horticultural General Examination, |
Professional affiliation: Member of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management
Horticultural Experience:
I have worked mainly in amenity horticulture and covered a wide range of horticultural tasks in both practical and managerial rolls. I like doing a varied range of duties, as variety keeps you busy, interested and motivated. In my present post I am responsible for 17 staff looking after the grounds and gardens for the University. We also have our own nursery, where we propagate and grow a wide range of hardy plants, bedding plants, pot plants and plants for decoration in offices.
In Sept/Oct and May/June each year we open our nursery at specified times for the sale of plants to staff and members of the public. If you are looking for a large number of shrubs to replant your garden we are well worth a visit. We grow a good range of quality plants and have many unusual ones at prices lower than main stream gardening centres. Check out my PLANT SALE page for full details.
If I had to specialize in one aspect of gardening, it would be propagation, as it is both rewarding and interesting to grow plants and see them develop. I do how ever put plenty of effort and enthusiasm into all aspects of horticulture. In this job there is always something new to learn, but there is no substitute for experience.
Gardening to-day:
Gardening has changed as a source of employment over the years, you may think that its an easy job without any stress, but in order to keep up standards in the available time, its as demanding as any job. You have to work with the elements in gardening, the weather conditions greatly change the work you can undertake. We tend to get extremes these days, too wet, too dry, too hot and the time you get to get some jobs completed, in the right conditions is limited. So as the old sayings go ( which I am a great believer of ) make hay while the sun shines and don't put off tomorrow what you can do today.
Many more people are getting interested in plants, in the garden, on the patio and in the house. Plants should be pleasing to the eye and form a source of interest. The range of plants and the varieties that are available has increased, particularly in the last 10 years or so. Many people these days don't have as much time to do gardening work and want to have time to relax and enjoy it. To this end labour saving methods, materials and plants that need less attention are desirable. This is the sort of criteria I have in mind as I develop my web site, hoping that it will help and guide you in selecting and growing your plants.
What do I like in the garden:
|
I like to see healthy growing plants, if a plant looks a mess it should be given attention to improve it or it should be removed, there are exceptions to this, like plants growing in a woodland or in a wild garden. |
|
I like the changes in the seasons, I always like the end of March or the beginning of April as it heralds the start of the growing season and the smell of freshly cut grass is a joy to behold. |
|
Scent in the garden is particularly important from foliage and flowers, this can be had all year round. |
|
Colour is what the garden is about, a nice green lawn, collections of contrasting flower colours, plants with various leaf shapes, sizes and foliage colours. Then when autumn comes the changing landscape with the rich autumn colours of the trees and shrubs is a treasure before the on set of the winter weather. |
|
The wild life that a well balanced garden encourages. |
What I dislike in the garden:
|
Plants that have passed their sell by date and look a mess. By that I mean some plants have a limited life and will never recover no matter what you do to them, its best to replant or propagate them in advance before they require removing if you can. |
|
I don't like to see plants completely growing in the wrong place, if its a woodland plant it will never grow in full sun and if its a plant that wants a dry sheltered spot its going to have problems in a wet exposed situation. If you can't keep a plant looking expectable you would be better having nothing there. |
|
Over planting, plants need space to grow and develop, you need to get the balance right, reduce planting densities as and when required. |
As you read through my web site pages you will see I make reference to favourite plants and plants for situations. If you wish to contact me, my e-mail address is wilcock@which.net I cant promise to reply. but it would be nice if you could let me know what you think of my site and any suggestions you may have so that I can make improvements as I develop it.
If you are looking for personal help and advice, I have a limited amount of free time that I spend going to see people in and around the Cambridge area, please see my PERSONAL HELP page for more details.
return to top of page or my Home Page
