Percy John Thrower MBE (30 January 1913 – 18 March 1988) was a British horticulturist, gardener, broadcaster, and author renowned for popularizing gardening through television and radio in the mid- to late 20th century.[1] Born in Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, as the son of a head gardener, he began working under his father at Horwood House at age 14 and joined the Royal Gardens at Windsor Castle at age 18, later becoming superintendent of parks in Shrewsbury, where he restored notable public gardens during and after World War II.[2] Thrower gained national fame as a broadcaster, starting with BBC radio in 1947 and transitioning to television, where he presented the pioneering series Gardeners' World from 1969 to 1976 and served as the resident gardening expert on the children's programme Blue Peter from 1974 until his retirement in 1987.[3]Thrower's early professional life was shaped by hands-on horticultural experience, including four years working under his father at Horwood House before moving to Windsor, where he met his wife, Constance Cook.[2] In 1946, at age 32, he relocated to Shropshire to lead the borough's parks department, overseeing the revival of The Dingle—a Victorian rock garden in Shrewsbury's Quarry park—damaged by wartime neglect, and contributing to the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show as its chairman for over 40 years.[2] His broadcasting breakthrough came with the radio show Beyond the Back Door in 1947, which led to television appearances on Gardening Club in the 1950s and early 1960s, establishing him as a familiar, approachable figure who made complex gardening techniques accessible to amateur enthusiasts.[4] By the 1970s, Thrower was one of Britain's most recognized media personalities, authoring over 30 books on horticulture and opening a garden center in Shrewsbury that continues to operate under his family's management.[2]In recognition of his contributions to gardening and broadcasting, Thrower was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1984 and received the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1974.[2] He passed away in 1988 at age 75 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, leaving a lasting legacy as "the nation's head gardener," with tributes highlighting his role in inspiring generations to engage with outdoor cultivation amid post-war Britain's growing interest in home gardening.[1] His work on Blue Peter included designing the show's iconic television center garden in 1974, further embedding gardening education into popular culture.[3]
Early life
Birth and family
Percy John Thrower was born on 30 January 1913 at Horwood House in the village of Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire.[5][2] He grew up in the head gardener's house on the estate with his parents and an elder brother.[6]Thrower's father, Harry Thrower, served as the head gardener at Horwood House, a neo-Tudor mansion owned by the wealthy Denny family.[6][5] This role provided the family with tied accommodation but reflected their working-class status as estate employees dependent on such positions.[6] From a young age, Percy was immersed in horticulture, observing his father's work in developing the estate's gardens, which sparked his passion for the profession and his ambition to become a head gardener himself.[6]The Throwers were a family of working gardeners, with Harry's expertise shaping Percy's early environment and influencing his career path.[6] After leaving school at age 14 in 1927, Percy joined the Horwood House garden staff, working under his father's guidance for four years, starting at 6:30 a.m. six days a week for a shilling a day.[6][7] This hands-on experience solidified his foundational knowledge of gardening before he sought formal training in horticulture.[6]
Education and initial training
Percy Thrower's passion for gardening was nurtured from a young age through his family background, particularly after leaving school when he worked under his father, a skilled gardener, for four years. This hands-on experience laid the groundwork for his professional pursuits in horticulture.[8]In 1931, at the age of 18, Thrower secured his first formal position as an improver gardener at the Royal Gardens, Windsor Castle, where he earned £1 per week and spent five years honing his skills under head gardener Charles Henderson Cook. This apprenticeship provided essential training in large-scale garden maintenance and royal estate horticulture, marking his entry into professional gardening.[7]Thrower left Windsor on 1 August 1935 to join the City of Leeds Parks Department as a journeyman gardener. During his time there, he successfully passed the Royal Horticultural Society's General Examination, a key qualification that validated his growing expertise in plant cultivation and garden design.[9]In 1937, Thrower moved to the Derby Parks Department, initially as a journeyman, and progressively advanced to the role of Assistant Parks Superintendent. While in Derby, he studied diligently and earned the National Diploma in Horticulture (N.D.H.) on his second attempt, a prestigious credential recognizing advanced knowledge in the field. Additionally, he took on lecturing duties at Derby Technical College, sharing his practical insights with aspiring horticulturists.[7][10]
Gardening career
Early professional roles
In 1939, as deputy parks superintendent in Derby, Thrower took charge of food production efforts across the city's parks, racecourse, and sewage works as part of the government's "Dig for Victory" campaign, organizing public demonstrations to teach citizens how to maximize vegetable plots for wartime self-sufficiency.[7] He also conducted educational visits to local parks, schools, and even the Derby Sewerage Works to promote home gardening, establishing himself as a key figure in the initiative that transformed public and private spaces into productive allotments.[11] These responsibilities, combined with his lecturing role at Derby Technical College on horticultural practices, honed his expertise in community-driven agriculture during the war years.[7]Following the war, Thrower was appointed Parks Superintendent for Shrewsbury on January 1, 1946, at the age of 32, making him the youngest person to hold such a position in the country after being selected from 72 applicants.[12] In this role, he oversaw a department responsible for revitalizing the town's green spaces, which had suffered neglect and wartime damage, and quickly demonstrated his innovative approach to public parks management.[7]Among his first initiatives in Shrewsbury was the restoration of the Dingle, a sunken landscaped garden in the Quarry park, which he redesigned with new rockeries, pools, and cascades to restore its pre-war beauty while adapting it for post-war recreational use.[7] He also revived a collection of 50 aged fuchsia plants into over 5,000 cuttings for low-cost public displays, enhancing floral exhibits across the parks and fostering community appreciation for horticulture.[12] To engage the public, Thrower organized early flower shows and contributed to radio broadcasts, such as on BBC's Country Calendar in 1946, advising on garden revival and promoting Shrewsbury's green initiatives to build local enthusiasm.[12]Thrower's growing international reputation led to his commission in spring 1951 by the Shropshire Horticultural Society to design an English-style garden in Berlin's Tiergarten as a symbol of post-war friendship between Britain and Germany.[12] He personally supervised the selection and packing of thousands of donated trees, shrubs, and plants from Shropshire—carefully wrapped in damp moss to meet strict import regulations—and oversaw its implementation, resulting in the garden's official opening in May 1952 by British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden.[13] This project underscored his expertise in landscape design and cross-cultural horticultural diplomacy during the early Cold War era.[12]
Shrewsbury superintendency and wartime contributions
Thrower held the position of Parks Superintendent for Shrewsbury from 1946 until his retirement in 1974. During his 28-year tenure, he oversaw the maintenance and development of multiple public parks, including The Quarry and Kingsland, while emphasizing elaborate floral displays that became hallmarks of Shrewsbury's horticultural identity. Thrower's leadership transformed the town's green spaces from wartime neglect into vibrant community assets, fostering a culture of public gardening that endured beyond his time.[12][7]Key among his projects was the post-war reconstruction of The Quarry gardens, where he initiated major enhancements following the conflict's disruptions. He felled aging lime trees dating back to 1719 and replaced them with new avenues, while cultivating over 5,000 fuchsia plants to create cost-effective, eye-catching displays that drew widespread admiration. In the heart of The Quarry, Thrower oversaw the restoration of the sunken Dingle gardens, a landscaped area with a lake, fountains, and herbaceous borders, which he remodeled into a celebrated floral masterpiece featuring rhododendron groves and formal topiary. These efforts, including annual floral clocks and prize-winning exhibits at the Shrewsbury Flower Show, elevated the parks' international profile and secured multiple supreme awards for the town in the 1970s and 1980s.[12][7][14]Thrower's wartime experience in Derby, where he managed "Dig for Victory" campaigns by converting parks into food production sites, informed his peacetime initiatives in Shrewsbury. Upon arriving, he addressed the legacy of allotments that had overtaken the town's parks during the war, restoring ornamental features while expanding community gardening programs to promote self-sufficiency and local engagement in horticulture. These efforts transitioned the wartime imperative into ongoing educational outreach, encouraging residents to maintain private plots and participate in public beautification schemes.[12][7]On the international stage, Thrower gained recognition in 1951 when the Shropshire Horticultural Society commissioned him to design an English-style garden in Berlin's Tiergarten as a gesture of post-war reconciliation. Thousands of plants donated from Shropshire were used, and the garden opened in May 1952. This endeavor not only highlighted Thrower's expertise but also positioned Shrewsbury's horticultural community as a bridge in Europe's recovery.[7][12]
Broadcasting career
Debut and radio work
Percy Thrower's broadcasting career began in 1947 with a weekly 10-minute radio segment on the BBC Midland Regional programme Beyond the Back Door, offered after its presenter, Godfrey Baseley, was impressed by Thrower's work in Shrewsbury parks.[2] He continued with radio spots on Children's Hour from 1950, aimed at encouraging young listeners to garden and reduce vandalism, and later contributed to Gardeners' Question Time in the late 1950s, providing expert answers to listener queries on horticulture.[4] These appearances allowed him to share practical advice on topics like soil preparation and pest control through conversational explanations suited to audio formats.[12]Thrower's first television appearance came in 1951 on the BBC programme Picture Page, discussing his Shrewsbury gardens.[12] In 1956, he became the host of the BBC's Gardening Club, a pioneering television series that featured practical demonstrations from a studio greenhouse at the BBC's Gosta Green facility in Birmingham.[4] The program, which aired monthly and ran for over a decade until 1968, established Thrower as a national figure in gardening media by adapting his hands-on knowledge for visual broadcast formats in collaboration with BBC producers who designed the improvised set to mimic a real garden environment.[4]Thrower's natural on-air style—characterized by a sincere, avuncular tone and straightforward delivery—played a key role in popularizing horticulture for everyday audiences during this period.[2] Often seen or heard with his trademark pipe in hand, he avoided jargon, focusing instead on relatable examples that encouraged home gardeners to experiment confidently.[12] This approachable demeanor, honed through early radio and TV collaborations adapting his practical Shrewsbury-based experience, helped demystify gardening and fostered a loyal following in the pre-Gardeners' World era.[2]
Television hosting
Thrower's success on radio paved the way for his prominent television career, where he became a staple of BBC gardening programming.[15]He hosted Gardeners' World from 1969 to 1976, often presenting episodes from his own garden at his Bomere Heath bungalow, where he demonstrated practical gardening techniques to a wide audience.[15][12]Thrower also served as the resident gardener on the children's programme Blue Peter from 1974 to 1987, making over 100 appearances and designing the show's original garden, which he helped maintain and rebuild after incidents of vandalism, including a notable 1983 attack that left him visibly emotional on air.[15][16][17]His broadcasting style was characterized by a calm, authoritative yet accessible demeanor, blending practical expertise with quiet enthusiasm that made complex horticultural advice approachable for viewers of all ages.[12] This approach earned him the distinction of being Britain's first celebrity gardener.[16]Through these programmes, Thrower significantly boosted public interest in gardening, with Gardeners' World drawing around 8 million weekly viewers during the 1970s and inspiring a surge in amateur participation that transformed the hobby into a multimillion-pound industry.[18][12]
Business and writing
Garden centres
In 1967, Percy Thrower collaborated with Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and the Duke of Northumberland to develop one of Britain's first garden centres at Syon Park in London, providing expert advice on converting parkland into a showcase for British gardening products.[19][20] Appointed to the centre's board, Thrower attended its official opening in 1968, where he welcomed the Queen Mother, emphasizing its role in promoting high-quality plants and horticultural innovation.[19]In 1970, Thrower purchased the 40-acre Murrell's nursery in Shrewsbury in partnership with Duncan Murphy, transforming it into the Percy Thrower Garden Centre, the first such facility in Shropshire.[19][21] The centre operated as a comprehensive retail outlet, offering a wide selection of plants including perennials, annuals, shrubs, bulbs, seeds, fruit bushes, and vegetables, alongside gardening tools and accessories.[22] Knowledgeable staff provided personalized advice on plant care and gardendesign, drawing on Thrower's expertise and leveraging his national broadcasting fame to attract customers seeking practical guidance.[23][12]Following his departure from Gardeners' World in 1976, the garden centre became a primary source of income for Thrower, allowing him to focus on hands-on management while maintaining its status as a local community hub in Shrewsbury until his death in 1988.[19][12] The facility's nursery operations, which included growing over 150,000 roses and 100,000 shrubs annually by the late 1970s, further supported its retail model and reinforced Thrower's influence in regional horticulture.[19] The centre continues to operate today as Percy Thrower's Garden Centre, part of the Blue Diamond Group, maintaining its role as a key horticultural retail site in Shrewsbury as of 2025.[22]
Publications and media contributions
Thrower authored more than a dozen gardening books beginning in the 1960s, focusing on practical guidance for amateur gardeners.[7] His early works included Percy Thrower's Encyclopaedia of Gardening, published in 1962 by W. H. & L. Collingridge, which provided comprehensive advice on plant cultivation and garden planning. Subsequent titles, such as Fresh Vegetables and Herbs from Your Garden (1974, Hamlyn) and Percy Thrower's How to Grow Vegetables and Fruit (1977, Hamlyn), emphasized step-by-step techniques for growing produce, often illustrated with color photographs and drawings from his own gardens at The Magnolias in Shrewsbury.[24] Other notable books included In Your Garden with Percy Thrower (1973, Hamlyn), a week-by-week guide to flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and My Lifetime of Gardening (1977, co-authored with Ronald Webber, Hamlyn), reflecting on his career with seasonal tips.[25] These publications offered accessible, hands-on advice on topics like vegetable growing and garden design, helping to democratize horticultural knowledge.[7]In addition to books, Thrower contributed regular newspaper and magazine columns that extended his reach to print audiences. Following his retirement as Shrewsbury's parks superintendent in 1974, he launched a weekly gardening column in the Daily Mail in 1975, delivering practical, seasonal recommendations on plant care and troubleshooting.[7] He also wrote columns for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, and local outlets like the Express & Star, where his first column appeared earlier in his career, amassing thousands of articles over decades.[26] For Amateur Gardening magazine, Thrower provided weekly notes for over 20 years starting in the mid-20th century, featuring illustrated tips drawn from his professional experience and personal gardens.[6] His column style prioritized straightforward, actionable insights—such as sowing schedules and pest control—often incorporating examples from his broadcast demonstrations to engage readers beyond television viewers.[7]
Personal life
Marriage and children
Percy Thrower married ConstanceMargaret Ina Cook, known as Connie and the daughter of head gardener Charles Henderson Cook, on 9 September 1939 at Sandringham in Norfolk, just days before the outbreak of the Second World War.[11][26] The couple received a wedding gift of a set of Burslem china dishes from Queen Mary, which they cherished throughout their lives.[11][26]Thrower and Connie had three daughters: Margaret (born 1944), Susan (also known as Sue, born 1948), and Ann (born 1952).[8][11][27] The family settled in Shrewsbury, where Thrower served as parks superintendent, and Connie provided steadfast support during his rising career in broadcasting and horticulture, including assisting with preparations for his 1976 appearance on This Is Your Life.[8][11]The daughters shared their father's passion for gardening and contributed to the family business at Percy Thrower's Garden Centre in Shrewsbury after his death, with Margaret having taken an active role in growing plants for retail and participating in local radio programs on horticulture, such as those on BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio Shropshire; Susan having managed office operations; and Ann having focused on retail aspects—until the family sold the centre in 2000—demonstrating the family's collective involvement in Thrower's horticultural legacy.[11][28]
Home and interests
Thrower and his wife Connie constructed their long-term residence, "The Magnolias", in 1963 on a plot in Merrington near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, incorporating a 1.5-acre garden designed as an exemplary display of horticultural design.[29] The property, a modern bungalow, was opened to the public in 1966, allowing visitors to experience Thrower's gardening techniques firsthand.[29] It later served as a primary filming location for the BBC's Gardeners' World throughout the 1960s and 1970s, where Thrower demonstrated plant care without scripts, blending his professional expertise with the intimacy of his personal space.[29] The structure was ultimately demolished in 2014 following structural failure caused by the expansive clay subsoil undermining its shallow foundations.[29]Beyond his career, Thrower maintained a deep personal passion for cultivating fuchsias, which he integrated into his garden collections at home.[2] His marriage to Connie provided the family stability that underpinned this domestic haven, where the garden functioned as a serene retreat for relaxation amid his demanding schedule.[2]Thrower extended his influence into the Shrewsbury community through active participation in local events, notably as horticultural adviser to the Shropshire Horticultural Society and chairman of the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show for more than four decades, fostering public engagement with gardening traditions.[2]
Death and legacy
Final years and death
Thrower retired as superintendent of parks in Shrewsbury in 1974 after nearly three decades in the role, allowing him to devote more time to his burgeoning broadcasting career and business interests, including garden centres.[12][7]He continued serving as the resident gardener on the BBC children's programme Blue Peter from 1974 until 1987, appearing in over 100 episodes and designing the show's original garden at the BBC Television Centre.[7] Despite emerging health challenges in the mid-1980s, including a heart attack in early 1985 that prompted him to quit smoking after years of heavy tobacco use, Thrower persisted with his television work; he underwent a heart bypass operation in 1987 but never fully recovered from the procedure, and was subsequently diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.[12]Thrower made his final Blue Peter recording from his hospital bed just one week before his death and passed away on 18 March 1988 at the age of 75 in the Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton, due to complications from his heart condition and Hodgkin's disease.[27][7] A public funeral service took place on 25 March 1988 at St Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury, attended by many from the local community and horticultural world, after which he was cremated; flags across Shrewsbury flew at half-mast in his honour.[12][5]
Awards and influence
Thrower received numerous accolades throughout his career, reflecting his contributions to horticulture and broadcasting. In 1974, he was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society, the organization's highest honor, limited to just 63 living recipients at any time for exceptional services to British horticulture.[7][30] He also earned the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1984, recognizing his services to gardening and public education.[7][12] Additionally, Thrower won the supreme award at the Shrewsbury Flower Show five consecutive times from 1979 to 1983, where he served as a key organizer.[12]Thrower's influence extended far beyond his personal achievements, shaping British gardening culture in the post-war era. As one of the first celebrity gardeners on television and radio, he popularized horticulture among the general public, transforming it from a niche pursuit into a national leisure activity enjoyed by millions.[2][12] His approachable style on programs like Gardeners' World demystified gardening techniques, encouraging amateur enthusiasts to experiment and succeed, and he is credited with helping to establish the multimillion-pound garden center industry by promoting accessible plant varieties and designs.[12][19]Thrower's legacy inspired subsequent generations of gardeners and broadcasters, including figures like Alan Titchmarsh, who cited him as a formative influence during their youth.[9] His emphasis on practical, community-oriented gardening fostered a lasting enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits, as acknowledged in a 2013 UK Parliament early day motion marking what would have been his 100th birthday, which highlighted his role in promoting horticulture nationwide.[31] Through his writings, lectures, and media presence, Thrower bridged professional expertise with everyday application, ensuring gardening's enduring appeal in British society.[6]