Mr. Philip William Wood

Editorial Department • Published 1 Jul 2010 16:00

Philip Wood, who died on 21 June 2010 in his 92nd year, was born in Pickering, North Yorkshire in 1918. He won a scholarship to Lady Lumley's grammar school in Pickering, and on leaving school was apprenticed to learn horticulture on a nearby landed estate before moving to Roger's nurseries in Pickering. He was awarded a university place to study botany and horticulture but before he could take up this place, he was called up for six months' army training in March 1939. By the end of this training period the Second World War had commenced and for the next seven years Philip served in the Royal Corps of Signals and saw active service in many countries including mainland Greece and the island of Crete, Germany, Syria, India, Ceylon, North Africa and Burma.

Only many years later did some very few isolated snapshots of those long years emerge. The last man but one off the last official boat to escape from Crete; crossing leach infested swamps in Burma; lying on his back through a dark night in an old dug-out with the trucks from a retreating army rumbling over his head; working with five others behind enemy lines in the desert, preparing a telegraph system for the desert campaign; the ship beside him hit by shrapnel and his friend, on board, killed instantly.

After the war, in 1947, Philip married Barbara Leach, also from Yorkshire, and took up the post of manager of the Slieve Donard Nursery in Newcastle, County Down. Their daughter, Judith, was born in 1948. Many years later he nursed his wife through a long illness until her death in 1974.

Philip represented the Nursery at Chelsea Flower Show winning a succession of bronze, silver and gold medals every year. He continued to develop what was an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and bred new varieties of plants and flowers for the nurseries including the blue poppy- Meconopsis 'Slieve Donard'. He enjoyed hillwalking and climbed in the Mournes and over countryside, and in his own garden grew rare and beautiful plants. He was a founder member of the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team and was appointed as its first leader. He led an expedition to Turkey, and later became a life honorary member of many organisations including the Alpine Garden Society, the Irish Mountaineering Association, and the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team.

In 1969 Philip moved to the Glen of the Downs, County Wicklow with Irish Forests and later went to Baronscourt, Tyrone. In 1984 he married Helen Lanigan, then curator of Fermanagh County Museum and set up home in Enniskillen.

Retired, he devoted a lot of time to designing gardens and providing advice, sharing his knowledge through gardening classes, lectures, newspaper articles, radio programmes and through the television series he wrote and co-presented on UTV 'How Does Your Garden Grow?' One of UTV's most successful productions, it was first screened in 1984, was subsequently seen by a wider audience on Channel Four and RTE before being screened worldwide. During this time he also designed the award-winning garden at Tully Castle for the Environment and Heritage Service.

In 1997 Philip was diagnosed with vascular dementia but an early diagnosis and care of the highest standard from Dr. Jim Kelly of the Erne Hospital meant that this debilitating and destructive disease progressed slowly and never succeeded in completely eliminating Philip's strong personality. During his illness Philip showed the same strength, courage and fortitude that he had displayed throughout his life, even enjoying holidays abroad until recent years as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Sri Lanka. He was greatly helped by excellent medical care from Dr. Vincent Davidson and his team and by support from the Alzheimers Society Fermanagh Branch and Mr. Jim Ingram of the Social Services.

He died peacefully with his wife and daughter by his side, in the loving care of the staff at Ashbrooke Care Home in Enniskillen. After a farewell service in sunshine in the garden Philip created at his Enniskillen home, with prayers by the Rev. Lorna Meissner and tributes from his friend Gordon Johnson, his brother-in-law John Lanigan and his daughter, Judith Smyth, another farewell took place at Roselawn Crematorium attended by friends and family from Belfast, Derry, Newcastle, Co Down and Kilkenny.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 01 Jul 10

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