This April, 2019, one of Walberton Nursery’s longest serving employees, Tim Lawrance-Owen retired, after nearly 29 years of service with the Nursery. Before working for Walberton, Tim worked for Starplants, a former member of the Farplants Group, bringing his total years within the Farplants Group to nearly 35.
During his time at Walberton, Tim’s responsibilities have been as diverse as managing Propagation and Crop Protection, sourcing all of the externally bought plant material, growing crops, managing staff and HR. Tim has interviewed multiple generations of the same families to work on the nursery over the years, as he has seen the Tristram family business grow and develop.
To celebrate Tim’s many years of commitment to Walberton, staff attended a late afternoon garden celebration with cake, bubbly, gifts and speeches. And to thank Walberton for the many years of support and opportunities he has had, Tim planted a Davidia involucrata (a handkerchief tree) by the pond.
Tim isn’t likely to have much rest in the early part of his retirement though. As the International Director and Treasurer of IPPS Europe, he will be embarking on a 2 ½ week tour of Australia this summer, taking in several nursery visits along the Northeast coast. And within the first week of his retirement, Tim returned to Walberton to lead a Southern Grower’s Club evening tour of Walberton Nursery.
For more information:
Tristram Plants
www.tristramplants.co.uk