Percy Thrower legacy supports young horticulturalist
The Percy Thrower Trust has awarded a £2,000 travel bursary to Suzanne Moss, winner of the 2011 Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturalist of the Year.
Anne Kirkham, the daughter of the legendary gardener and broadcaster, was in attendance at the event for the second year running, and presented Suzanne with her prize and bursary.
Through the Percy Thrower Travel Bursary, Shropshire Horticultural Society is one of main sponsors of the competition and Brian Goodwin, Chairman of the Society, said at the event: “After so many years as the Society’s Honorary Horticultural Adviser we were looking for a way to continue the memory of Percy Thrower, and awarding this bursary to young horticulturalists to enable them to begin their own career in the field seemed incredibly apt.”
Now in its 22nd year the competition saw nearly 2,000 students from across Britain and Ireland taking part in local heats and regional finals over recent months. The eight lucky finalists faced tough questions in the heats, as well as over 40 questions covering every aspect of horticulture in the regional finals. Finalists also had to manage tough equipment and identify plants, pests and diseases to secure their place in last Saturday’s Grand Final.
Winner Suzanne, a student at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey, plans to use her £2,000 bursary to travel to Madagascar to study the native flora.
