Ashwood mourns the loss of head gardener

Adam (right) with John and Willow

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of Adam Greathead, aged 27, who passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Sunday October 29^th.

Adam was head gardener to nursery owner John Massey and a familiar and very popular figure with visitors to John’s Garden. In the three years that Adam worked alongside John, they formed a very close bond as he had an instinctive understanding of John’s vision for the garden. Not only that, but Adam’s own input into the garden was considerable as he had many inspirational ideas of his own.

Adam enjoying a quiet moment in John’s Garden

He was a remarkable young man with a passion for gardening that had begun at an early age. He acquired his first allotment at the tender age of 11 and ran a small business selling hanging baskets and bedding plants to his teachers at Hagley Catholic High School.  His zeal for horticulture at school was recognised in 2005 when Adam was awarded the Princess Diana Memorial Award which honours children who inspire the lives of others in the classroom and community.

On leaving school and with no formal training he became a successful jobbing gardener in the Stourbridge and Hagley area. Adam was immensely proud that he was entirely self-taught and, as he gained in confidence, he began presenting gardening lectures to local groups and started to write articles for the gardening media.

He developed his own garden ‘Duck Pools’ in Stourbridge with much imaginative flair, opening it regularly to the public for charity. In his own words, he described his garden to visitors:

‘Escape the hustle & bustle of urban surroundings and enter a place where dreams come true. Visit the secret bothy under the enchantment of the green man. Leave your troubles behind and relax in our horticultural heaven. Where the senses are heightened and all that was impossible soon becomes possible…’

Adam planting up the Fern Stump garden

He was appointed secretary to the West Midland district association of the National Vegetable Society when he was only 23, serving two years in this role, during which time he became a regular contributor to Simply Veg magazine. He subsequently became Chairman of Wollaston Gardeners Guild and this very popular horticultural group based at Stourbridge Institute went from strength to strength under his enthusiastic leadership.

The pinnacle of his career came when Adam was introduced to John Massey on a visit to ‘John’s Garden’. The two recognised in each other kindred spirits, sharing a deep love of plants as well as a desire to showcase both imaginative garden design and the skills of good gardening practice.

John appointed Adam as head gardener and Adam quickly made an impression on the development of the garden, with many wonderful planting schemes being created. He and John loved to bounce ideas off each other and a recent successful project was the development of the unique Fern Stump Garden while a planned extension of the garden showcasing a huge Cornus kousa collection is well underway.

The completed Stump Garden

There can be no doubt that Adam had the most promising future ahead of him and his death is the cruellest of blows, not only to John and the Ashwood team but to the world of horticulture. We offer our deepest sympathy to his parents John and Gay, their loss is unimaginable.

The last words remain with John:

    ‘Adam was very special, his smiling face lit up the room, he was superb with people and full of fun and mischief… I  would often hear him singing in the garden, usually some saucy ditty. He was a fantastic head gardener, always adventurous, he loved mixing purple and orange, a young ‘Christo’, bringing me and my garden into the 21^st century.

   We became best friends, he made me feel young again, I miss him terribly, but I know he will live on in our garden. The new area which we have just been planting with Cornus kousa will be known as Adam’s Garden, this has its own unique, special atmosphere and peacefulness.

   We had so many plans, so much we were going to do together, so many gardens to visit; I thought we had lots more time; but we will still keep gardening together, keep visiting our friends and enjoying their gardens, because Adam will always be with me in my heart.’

Funeral Arrangements

Adam’s funeral will take place at 11am on Thursday November 30^th 11am | Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Church, New Road, Stourbridge DY81PQ

The wake will be held afterwards in the Tea Room at Ashwood Nurseries

The Tea Room will be CLOSED to the public from 11.30am to 4.45pm on this day. We are very sorry for any inconvenience but we do hope all our customers will understand our reasons at this very sad time.