Paul Stone
Since gaining his diploma in Landscape Construction at Merrist Wood College in 1980, Paul Stone has managed landscape companies in Westbury Somerset, Chertsey West London and Brighton. He was Chairman of the British Association of Landscape Industries South Thames Group until relocating to Cornwall in 1998 to form Paul Stone Gardens and begin his involvement in creating the world renowned gardens of the Eden Project at St Austell.
Success in 2017 at Gardeners World Live
The Nostalgia Garden by Paul Stone at Gardeners World Live 2017 at the NEC Birmingham
You are invited over a quaint old humpback bridge into the world of 1967! The bridge lies across a bubbling stream and bank of wildflowers that form the boundary of our village scene. In the cobbled courtyard is the local Garage with authentic period Austin Mini car and National petrol pumps. Next to this is the village Hardware store, which is adjacent to our 1967 Garden Centre.
This period was the beginning for Garden Centres. Vegetables, fruit and cut flowers were the main produce sold in Garden Nurseries around the country following post war austerity, mostly dug direct from the ground. Now with greater affluence the public were starting to buy houses with gardens and became interested in ornamental planting. Nurserymen responded to this and began to offer a wider selection of ornamentals, plants in containers, and a range of gardening tools and equipment. With this rising interest in Gardening came Gardeners World, first broadcast on BBC in 1968, and 50 years on we celebrate its continued appearance on prime time BBC Television!
In our fledgling Garden Centre we take a look at:
Bedding plants : see what was in vogue then, how much it cost, how it was grown and sold in wooden trays and newspaper wraps and clay pots! We compare it to the current top varieties thanks to Ball Colgrave.
Flowering Perennials : early containers were recycled produce tins! Compare what was most popular 50years ago to today. Check out the prices!
Roses : Beales Rose Nursery is 50 years old next year : on display we have 50 year old Rose varieties and compare them to most recent introductions.
From Geoffrey Smith to Carol Klein : some of the presenters will be making an appearance in the Garden Centre, in the form of plants named after them!
Jiffy Pots : for the professional and amateur gardener, celebrate a product that has remained mostly the same product since 1967, but as a peat based product has adapted to meet changing needs in the environment.
Composts : peat was very popular back in 1967. See what has changed!
Fertilizers : whilst organic fertilizers remained very popular with the public, Gromore 7:7:7 had long been available and here it still is today!
Mowers : did you know the Flymo is 50 years old?
Allen Scythe : once the scourge of long grass, now retired to pasture!
Seed packets : it was still very much a question of growing your own in 1967!
Walling Stone : Marshalite walling is for sale - by Marshalls Landscape Products is still for sale today 50 years on : check out the price!