By STEVE GRAY
IT took 30 years to get him started, but now Charles Shann is an addict.
Warwick Horticultural Society secretary Margot Cory knew of Mr Shann’s green thumb and spent three decades urging him to enter flowers in the society’s shows.
Finally the farmer retired, so Ms Cory kept up the pressure.
“Three years ago she caught him, and now he’s got the bug, now you can’t stop him,” his long-term assistant, wife Rowan said.
“We’ve had great success since we started,” Mr Shann said.
Mr and Mrs Shann and opened their property at The Glen for 12 years under the Open Garden Scheme, but have since moved into Warwick.
There they have participated in the Open Garden Scheme twice and are considering a last such invitation in 2015 to celebrate their 80th birthdays.
“That’ll be the end of it, I think,” Mr Shann said.
Mrs Shann said her husband is the gardener while she weeds and deadheads as the mood takes her.
“I watered for him for 25 years when we were on the property, four and five hours a day,” she said cheerily.
Mr Shann, who had 128 varieties of bulbs at last count, picked up three awards this year at the society’s Spring competition.
He won a first place for a collection of carnations, and two championships for aggregate points across dozens of classes.
