Nursery manager is honoured by the RHS
We are very proud to announce that nursery manager Tony Cartwright has been honoured with a Long Service Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for over 50 years of service to horticulture. The medal was presented to him by nursery owner John Massey VMH on Friday August 11th in front of staff (both current and former) and invited guests at a special evening event celebrating Ashwood’s 50th Anniversary.
Tony started work at Ashwood Nurseries, then owned by Dora and Harry Beach in 1966. He was 14 years old and worked there part-time: after school, at weekends and during his school holidays.
Tony recalls: “Mr. and Mrs. Beach lived in a crumbling wooden bungalow (at the rear of the site of the current garden shop). Adjacent to this was a tiny shop with a small office attached and an open ‘packing shed’ on the front near the road.
The packing shed was used to pack hardy plants such as trees, roses and shrubs which were all sold ‘bare-root’ from October to March. A small range of containerised plants was also available grown in used tin cans supplied by the local butcher”
In 1967, Joseph and Hilda Massey acquired Ashwood Nurseries. In the same year, Tony started work full-time, working alongside the Massey’s 18 years old son John who eventually took over the ownership of Ashwood.
Nursery manager Karrina Gilbert told the audience on Friday how Tony, together with owner John and retired nursery manager Philip Baulk, had been responsible for the day to day running of Ashwood Nurseries and developing the nursery into the success story that it is today.
Tony is a familiar face to regular customers in The Garden Shop and, with his vast horticultural knowledge gleaned over the years, is always on hand to give advice or simply to have a friendly chat.
In 1995, Tony established the Ashwood Gardening Club with Howard Drury (gardening journalist and lecturer) and this hugely popular club met once a month from October to March for 22 years, meeting for the last time in March 2017.
John and all the Ashwood team are thrilled that Tony has been recognised for his many years of service to the horticultural industry.