Eventually kept: a gardener's word

Finally... because Mr Hamilton’s planned visit on December 4 last year had to be called off because heavy snow prevented travel between the family’s eight-acre Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland - made famous by his late father’s television appearances - and the Sussex coast.

Barry Clark, for Bexhill Horticultural Society, said: “Saturday’s visit was a treat, well worth waiting for, and every seat at St John’s Church Sanctuary was taken.

“Nick reminded us of many of the things his father had done, his relationship with the BBC and told us how many of the items he had fashioned out of virtually nothing - cloches, trellises and that sort of thing - were still doing good service today, some 15 years after his death.

“His talk was both amusing and informative, with plenty of anecdotes, and a vote of thanks from Councillor Stuart Wood was heartily applauded. The society’s thanks are also due to Valerie Zebedee, who first persuaded Nick to come down to give us a talk.”

Since his visit, Bexhill Horticultural Society members have been putting the finishing touches to exhibits for their annual spring show, which takes place tomorrow, Saturday, April 2 at Pebsham Community Centre, Seabourne Road, starting at 2pm.

The society has also just published its programme of talks for 2011/2012 all of which take place at St Martha’s Church Hall, Little Common. Diary dates for this year are October 1, Michael Tomey on “Mustard seed but no cress”; November 5, David Clark on the last voyage of the RMS Queen Mary, and December 3, Hugh Millar on the Bloomsbury Set in Sussex. All three are new speakers to the society.

PICTURED: Nick Hamilton