Margaret Thrower: Why I have no plans to uproot

The horticulturist has lived in her former vicarage home in Shropshire for 20 years.

And she says she has no intention of moving away from the county she loves, adding: “To lose the garden I have spent so many hours in would just break my heart”.

Margaret spoke in the week the Shrewsbury garden centre named after her father Percy was sold by owner Wyevale.

It is 10 years since she severed her formal links with the centre, but she says she remains very proud of the way her family built it into a successful business.

Here, Shropshire Star writer Shirley Tart interviews her long-time friend, a member of one of the county’s most famous families:

Margaret Thrower has a folder on her computer desktop with my name on it. And if you open it up, it reveals that she and I are long-time friends with the added comment ‘Shirley always rings me when she wants something’.

That is probably true but I do ring at other times as well. Honestly!

And so it’s catch up time again. On this occasion, I simply wanted her to talk to me about her life. Unlike a lot of us, she never blinked at what could have been a sweeping and wide-ranging request.

But over the years, Margaret and I have indeed shared such conversations, swapped tales about our lives, joined up for extraordinary events and, yes, seen first hand the effect the Thrower family has had on this county and beyond.

And now this week, came the news that the complex which will surely forever to be known by locals as The Percy Thrower Garden Centre, has been sold off again – by its parent company, Wyevale.

But from the beginning, this was a fascinating story. One which brought gardener Percy and his clan from royal acres to take up a position in Shrewsbury.

It has all been extraordinary and without a doubt, the name of Percy Thrower is still fondly remembered, along with his late wife Connie. Their three daughters, Ann, Sue and Margaret who all live within the area are in popular demand.

In particular, as the horticulturalist in chief of the family, Margaret still has many calls on her skills and particular interests and while it means demands on time and talents, she values the faith which folk have in her and is immensely touched that so many remember Percy and Connie with such affection.

Very much following in the family footsteps, like many of us of a certain age, Margaret often finds herself as busy as ever.

She said wryly: “I do still belong to many other organisations as well. Actually you know, my brain hasn’t recognised the word ‘no’.”

Oh glory be, how others of us recognise that as well but how we still enjoy the challenges this life throws at us – and cherish the faith others have in us.

But as a result of her commitment to the community, Margaret is a Shrewsbury Rotarian, on the Shrewsbury in Bloom action committee, part of the Drapers Trust preservation, which helps keep the wonderful Drapers building in the town centre in good repair, and so much more.

For years, she has been part of regular radio gardening programmes including Radio WM and, of course, our own Radio Shropshire. However, all of that is but a small part of her many activities over so many years. And not least, all she does to care for her own gardens at her Old Vicarage home outside Shrewsbury where she has lived for 20 years. “It’s just so surprising how time flies. But sometimes I do regret not spending more time here over the years,” she says.

But the one area where she can be found whenever possible is, of course, the garden. Ask her if she has any thoughts on moving house and the answer is a very firm no. And once again, many of us can indeed identify with Margaret’s feelings when she says: “To lose the garden I have spent so many hours in would just break my heart”.

Well no-one is in the business of heartbreaking, that’s for sure. And in this lovely home surrounded as it is by the floral gems of a unique career, no-one is in to moving house.

Memories

Instead we talked for a bit about another house at the entrance to a pair of perhaps the best-known gates in Shrewsbury – those leading to the famous Quarry, a unique highlight of the county town.

And there, we will still find a charming black and white house, now used by Shropshire Horticultural Society as its headquarters but which for many years was home to Margaret, sisters Susan and Ann and their parents Percy and Connie.

All these years on, memories will still roll by, sometimes like another life, sometimes painful, sometimes so very precious.

And in thoughtful mode, Margaret recalled her famous father Percy who died 30 years ago this year and added: “It has been 13 years since mum died and would you believe, 10 years since I left the garden centre.” The centre she refers to is, in the hearts and minds of thousands of Salopians in particular, still known as Percy Thrower’s.

So how did it all begin for Margaret, in the nicest possible way, a true daughter of the soil? She says: “Well I was in America for some years. I was married in 1975 and my husband got a job in the States so I went to join him. It was a wonderful place to live and when we eventually separated, I stayed on. And for a real country girl which I was, living in such a wonderful place like Manhattan was amazing.

Horticulture

“But then dad became unwell and I think I was ready to come home again anyway so I came back to work beside dad at the garden centre. I came home in 1987 and he died the following year. Then there we were, we three girls and mum, four women thrown in at the deep end. We had 50 staff and we had to make it work for them as well. It was hard work, yes it really was hard work. Then we were suddenly told that some of the men working there didn’t like petticoat government.”

She laughed as she said: “I don’t think dad ever thought we would work together actually. But we did. mum was around, Ann did the retail selling side, Sue did office management and I did the growing of plants for retail. Looking back, it sounds ridiculous but when I came back from the States, horticulture simply wasn’t considered a woman’s job.”

The Thrower girls had no intention of giving up and Margaret says: “In the end we ran the business for 14 years until we were bought out in 2000 by Garden Leisure.

“Though days before he died dad said ‘I don’t think you girls will run a garden centre, I’d sell it if I were you.’” Oh how proud the legend that is Percy Thrower would have been now, thanks to this particular petticoat government. And for all the paternal doubts, doubtless wanting to protect his family, Margaret recalls that they were still exhibiting in the famous big marquee in 1996. She says: “That’s what I miss, those big gardens and impressive displays.”

Travels

Her presence at this year’s show will include spells in the lecture marquee along with Chris Beardshaw and Penny Meadmore. But away from showgrounds and apart from all the other organisations to which she belongs, flowers of course feature big time as they have for so many years.

She travels locally and is popular further afield as well. This springtime in particular, Margaret looked round her lovely garden and knew this was where she wanted to be.

In a lunchtime philosophical mood and as we took in the glories of this particular garden, we agreed that while we wouldn’t want to lose any faculties, given the choice of three – sight, hearing or mobility, the loss of sight would be the worst.

And for sure, Margaret Thrower treasures it all, for everything it represents as she keeps the Thrower flag well and truly flying for Percy, for the petticoat government and, dear readers, for us.

Percy Thrower: Reaching the top of profession at 32

The seeds of this dynasty were sown when a young Percy Thrower determined to be just like dad.

But by that time, dad was head gardener at Horwood House in Buckinghamshire.

After he left school, Percy worked with dad for four years and then he became a journeyman gardener in 1931 at the Royal Gardens at Windsor Castle for £1 a week when he was just 18.

Percy lived in the bothy at Windsor along with 20 other improver gardeners and disabled ex-servicemen who were employed on full wages. He spent five years there under the head gardener, Charles Cook, who was to become a very important person in his life – as his his father-in-law.

Then followed spells at Leeds and Derby, all the time listening and learning in what was to be his trade of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, he became engaged to Connie Cook, daughter of Charles, who by then was the head gardener at Sandringham. And on September 9, 1939, Percy and Connie married at Sandringham and received a wedding gift of Burslem china dishes from Queen Mary.

While at Derby, Percy had become a leading light in the Dig for Victory campaign of World War Two, carrying out educational visits to many local parks and even Derby Sewerage Works. He also became a Special Constable on fire-watching duties after twice being turned down for active service. On a happy note, though, a football pools win of £52 meant he could buy his first car, a Morris Eight.

The great gardener’s final career move was to Shrewsbury in 1946, as the parks superintendent, the youngest to hold that office. Percy had reached the top of his profession at the age of 32, his sole ambition in life.

As well as transforming horticulture locally, he had an allied role nationally, was a great favourite on the Blue Peter programme and wrote as well – gardening was the subject of books and articles galore.

Percy had intended to stay for four or five years, but was to remain in-post until 1974.

For this, so many are so very grateful indeed thanks to his legacy.