The presentation of the Harold Hillier Award brought together 2 influential Island horticulturalists during the annual meeting of Ventnor Friends of Wight Horticulture (VFWH) last Thursday (11th June).
The award was presented to Ellen Penstone-Smith, head gardener at Farringford, by Rob Mew of C.A.R. Gardens, who previously taught Ellen when she studied horticulture at the Isle of Wight College as a 16-year-old student.
Ellen was recognised for her work in transforming the walled garden at Farringford, Freshwater, restoring it to reflect the era of former owner and Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson. One of Tennyson’s poems famously referred to the property’s “careless order’d garden”.
Speaking at the presentation, Rob described the finished result as:
“A masterclass in horticulture.”
The Harold Hillier Award, established by the family of renowned horticulturalist Sir Harold Hillier, honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to horticulture on the Isle of Wight. Now administered by VFWH, it has been awarded almost every year since 1980.
VFWH chairman Val Pitts noted that Rob himself is a previous recipient.
“The citation for Rob was that he was ‘a propagator of people’, and that he propagated horticulturalists. One of those he propagated was Ellen.”
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When Ellen and her husband, Alistair, took on the project at Farringford, they faced the challenge of recreating a Victorian garden despite the absence of any surviving plans. Research involved studying references in Tennyson’s poetry, Emily Tennyson’s journals and paintings by Helen Allingham, alongside wider investigations into planting styles of the period.
Rob praised the finished design, saying:
“The execution of Ellen’s ideas is a masterclass in plant association and plant combinations.”
Reflecting on Ellen’s career journey, he added:
“I’m very proud of all of my students, but there’s something extra when they’ve gone on that journey and studied hard, studied high, developed lots of experiences and skills and expertise.”
“We’ve been very fortunate that Ellen came back to the Island. We’ve got a lot of really rich gardens on the Island, and we ended up with Farringford to add to the mix – what a different place that is to the other gardens.”
Accepting the award, Ellen said it was:
“An absolute honour.”
She also paid tribute to her husband Ali, thanking him for supporting the family while she balanced the demands of the project and raising their young child.
Both Ellen Penstone-Smith and Rob Mew are due to speak at Quarr Abbey’s Celebration of Island Horticulture event on 1st July.
