Latest news with #JohnMassey
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man spends 27 years transforming garden into four seasons oasis
A PENSIONER has spent 27 years transforming the land outside his bungalow into a spectacular oasis considered one of the finest private gardens in Britain. Stunning pictures show John Massey's garden bursting with glorious summer colour – despite being on the edge of the industrial heartlands of Dudley in the Black Country. John, 76, has spent almost three decades devoted to his labour of love which features 20,000 different plants, trees and shrubs across a ten acre site. The four-time Chelsea Flower Show gold medalist says he needs to lovingly nurture his plot eight hours a day, seven days a week to keep it looking beautiful all year round. John Massey in his garden in Kingswinford (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS) He even opens up the four seasons garden to the public to raise money for charity and has recently reached the incredible milestone of raising half a million pounds. John is considered one of the horticultural industry's most respected plantsmen and his tranquil oasis has been hailed as one of the best private gardens in the country. Since it began life as a patch of grass in 1998, the garden has evolved to feature UK trees and plants alongside rarer and more exotic species from Japan, South Africa and Turkey. Green-fingered John, of Kingswinford, said: "The garden hasn't really been planned, it's just evolved over 27 years. 'We bigheadedly say we're a garden for every day of the year and that you would hopefully find something in flower every day you came. 'There's hundreds and thousands of different plants, we're all plant nutters and it's a full-time job looking after it. 'I usually get up at 7am and take the dogs out and I go around the garden all day from there. "Then there's the last walk at night to check for snails and slugs, that's usually 10pm until 11pm. "It really is an all-day thing. I started by the house and just moved out - and just kept going and going. I absolutely love it all." (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS) The garden is nestled against the backdrop of the scenic Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. Each corner is brimming with vibrant flowers and an abundance of greenery, with a range of conifers and shrubs surrounded by ornate pots. John, who has been in horticulture for 57 years, says it has since become so vast it now requires four people to help him maintain it. His inspiration came from the late Princess Greta Sturdza, a Norwegian who established one of France's finest gardens — Le Vasterival, in Normandy. John, who was previously awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's highest honour the Victoria Medal of Honour, said: "I was privileged to meet the late princess Greta Sturdza, a Norwegian. "We became sort of friends and she invited me over and had, in my mind, the greatest garden that I've ever seen. "She taught me how to garden. Her big thing was transparency pruning, you prune every tree, shrub and conifer so it was its own sculpture in its own right." He inherited his love of gardening from his grandad but says he got into the industry by chance, with no formal horticulture training at all. John prides himself on creating an all-year-round green space, meaning that flowers and plants are always growing. John, who took over control of the family nursery which sits nextdoor when he was just 18, said: 'Some beds are replanted twice a year. 'If we want to keep people coming back we need change. "We work on three layers, the big trees we raise the canopies and lift the branches. "We lift the canopy of the shrubs so that we can work under that. "Witch-hazel's are often considered to be most in abundance, with John's Garden home to over 40 different varieties." (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS) Summer in the garden is dominated by blue, pink and white hydrangeas, while autumn and winter sees various cornus and spindle trees. Spring is full of hellebores, bulbs and different narcissus, anemones and viburnums - ensuring the garden is always well-stocked. John said: 'We're always trying to get happy plants, I wouldn't want to grow a plants that weren't healthy. "There are certain plants we don't grow as we're a real frost pocket. We try and grow plants that are hardy in this area. 'We've got a wonderful selection of conifers, both dwarf and small. Then there's witch hazel, we've got 40 odd varieties. "We've got the grass bed and the asters which look their best in September and October. "I love it all, I do love the whole garden. We had the Danish horticulture society here the other day and they said each corner there's something different to look at. I think you should walk gardens both ways "The garden is constantly changing, with something majoring on different groups of plants right the way through the season." John stepped away from day-to-day duties at Ashwood Nurseries next door in 2000 to focus on his passion. The site is open to the public every Saturday between February and December, for just £8 a ticket. John and his team have won over 50 gold medals at royal flower shows, with four of them coming from the coveted Chelsea Flower Show. They also boast four Farrer Trophies, two Williams Memorial Medals and two Gardeners' World Live gold medals. He added: 'I've been in horticulture for 57 years and I'm still learning, it's one of those subjects where the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know. "A friend of mine described horticulture as the slowest form of art as it takes 20 years to reach its maturity. "We used to show a little alpine plant called Lewisia. What we tried to do is take a particular genus and try and get it to the highest possible level. "Then take on another family of plants and try and get them to that level. The beauty of plants is you don't have to be monogamous and can keep building them up." Since opening to the public in 2003, the garden has generated over £500,000 for charity. John added: "I wouldn't like to think how much I've spent on it, I wouldn't know. It's a passion, but it would be frightening. "The main thing is we've raised a lot of money for good causes in the process. "The garden is constantly changing right the way through the season, and I love it."
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Inside the highly acclaimed garden pensioner spent 27 years transforming into oasis
A PENSIONER has spent almost three decades transforming the land outside his bungalow into a spectacular oasis considered one of the finest private gardens in Britain. Stunning pictures show John Massey's garden bursting with glorious summer colour – despite being on the edge of the industrial heartlands of Dudley in the Black Country. The 76-year-old has spent 27 years perfecting to his labour of love which features 20,000 different plants, trees and shrubs across a ten-acre site. The four-time Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist says he needs to lovingly nurture his plot eight hours a day, seven days a week to keep it looking beautiful all year round. He even opens up his four seasons garden at his home in Kingswinford to the public to raise money for charity and has recently reached the incredible milestone of raising half a million pounds. Mr Massey is considered one of the horticultural industry's most respected plantsmen and his tranquil oasis has been hailed as one of the best private gardens in the country. Mr Massey's dad, Joe Massey, in 1998 at the beginning of the pool and rock garden (Image: Courtesy John Massey / SWNS) Since it began life as a patch of grass in 1998, the garden has evolved to feature UK trees and plants alongside rarer and more exotic species from Japan, South Africa and Turkey. Mr Massey said: "The garden hasn't really been planned, it's just evolved over 27 years. 'We bigheadedly say we're a garden for every day of the year and that you would hopefully find something in flower every day you came. 'There's hundreds and thousands of different plants, we're all plant nutters and it's a full-time job looking after it. 'I usually get up at 7am and take the dogs out and I go around the garden all day from there. "Then there's the last walk at night to check for snails and slugs, that's usually 10pm until 11pm. "It really is an all-day thing. I started by the house and just moved out - and just kept going and going. I absolutely love it all." Mr Massey, who has been in horticulture for 57 years, says it has since become so vast it now requires four people to help him maintain it. His inspiration came from the late Princess Greta Sturdza, a Norwegian who established one of France's finest gardens — Le Vasterival, in Normandy. Mr Massey, who was previously awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's highest honour the Victoria Medal of Honour, said: "I was privileged to meet the late princess Greta Sturdza, a Norwegian. "We became sort of friends and she invited me over and had, in my mind, the greatest garden that I've ever seen. "She taught me how to garden. Her big thing was transparency pruning, you prune every tree, shrub and conifer so it was its own sculpture in its own right." The stunning garden has won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show four times (Image: Emma Trimble / SWNS) He inherited his love of gardening from his grandad but says he got into the industry by chance, with no formal horticulture training at all. Mr Massey prides himself on creating an all-year-round green space, meaning that flowers and plants are always growing. The site is open to the public every Saturday between February and December, for just £8 a ticket. Since opening to the public in 2003, the garden has generated over £500,000 for charity. Words by Olivia Warburton and Adam Dutton
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Yahoo
Inside West Midlands' most beautiful garden hidden away behind bungalow
A dedicated pensioner has dedicated 27 years to transforming the space outside his bungalow into a breathtaking garden oasis, now considered one of Britain's most exquisite private gardens. The remarkable images reveal John Massey's garden in Dudley, on the fringes of the industrial Black Country, awash with vibrant summer hues. John, aged 76, has poured nearly three decades into his passion project, cultivating an impressive collection of 20,000 different plants, trees, and shrubs over ten acres. Read more: The truth about knife crime in West Midlands The Chelsea Flower Show four-time gold medal winner admits that maintaining the splendour of his garden throughout the year demands a commitment of eight hours daily, every day of the week. Generously, John opens his 'four seasons garden' to visitors, raising funds for charitable causes, and has recently celebrated the extraordinary achievement of generating £500,000 in donations. Esteemed within the gardening world, John's serene haven is acclaimed as one of the nation's premier private gardens. Originating as a simple lawn in 1998, the garden has flourished, showcasing native UK flora alongside more unusual varieties from Japan, South Africa, and Turkey. Kingswinford's green-fingered John remarked: "The garden hasn't really been planned, it's just evolved over 27 years." He confidently states: "We bigheadedly say we're a garden for every day of the year and that you would hopefully find something in flower every day you came. "There's hundreds and thousands of different plants, we're all plant nutters and it's a full-time job looking after it. "I usually get up at 7am and take the dogs out and I go around the garden all day from there. "Then there's the last walk at night to check for snails and slugs, that's usually 10pm until 11pm. "It really is an all-day thing. I started by the house and just moved out - and just kept going and going. I absolutely love it all." The garden, which offers picturesque views of the scenic Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal, is a true horticultural haven. Every nook is alive with striking blooms, lush greenery, an assortment of conifers and shrubs, complemented by intricately designed pots. John, with a remarkable 57 years of gardening under his belt, reveals this botanical paradise has grown so extensive that it now takes a team of four to keep it pristine. His passion was ignited by none other than Princess Greta Sturdza, the visionary Norwegian behind Le Vasterival, among France's most celebrated gardens. After being honoured with the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society, John remarked: "I was privileged to meet the late princess Greta Sturdza, a Norwegian. "We became sort of friends and she invited me over and had, in my mind, the greatest garden that I've ever seen. "She taught me how to garden. Her big thing was transparency pruning, you prune every tree, shrub and conifer so it was its own sculpture in its own right." John, a passionate gardener who took the reins of the family nursery at just 18, has no formal training in horticulture but shares a deep-rooted love for gardening passed down from his grandad. He's dedicated to maintaining a vibrant green space throughout the year, ensuring there's always something sprouting. Speaking about the nursery that neighbours his home, John remarked: "Some beds are replanted twice a year." He believes in constant renewal to keep visitors returning, saying, "If we want to keep people coming back we need change." John's approach involves a three-tier system: "We work on three layers, the big trees we raise the canopies and lift the branches." This technique allows for underplanting: "We lift the canopy of the shrubs so that we can work under that." The garden boasts an impressive collection of witch-hazels, with John's Garden featuring over 40 different varieties. Seasonal changes bring a variety of hues to the garden, with hydrangeas in summer and cornus and spindle trees in the colder months. Springtime sees an array of hellebores, bulbs, and various flowering shrubs, keeping the garden brimming with life. John explained his philosophy: "We're always trying to get happy plants, I wouldn't want to grow a plants that weren't healthy." He's selective with his plants due to the local climate: "There are certain plants we don't grow as we're a real frost pocket. We try and grow plants that are hardy in this area." The nursery is also known for its conifers and witch hazels: "We've got a wonderful selection of conifers, both dwarf and small. Then there's witch hazel, we've got 40 odd varieties." And for the autumn spectacle, he added: "We've got the grass bed and the asters which look their best in September and October. "I love it all, I do love the whole garden. We had the Danish horticulture society here the other day and they said each corner there's something different to look at. I think you should walk gardens both ways". "The garden is constantly changing, with something majoring on different groups of plants right the way through the season." John stepped away from day-to-day duties at Ashwood Nurseries next door in 2000 to focus on his passion for gardening. The site opens its gates every Saturday from February to December, welcoming nature lovers for just £8 a pop. John and his expert team have scooped more than 50 gold medals at prestigious Royal flower shows, bagging four from the renowned Chelsea Flower Show alone. Additionally, they have proudly collected four Farrer Trophies, two Williams Memorial Medals and a couple of Gardeners' World Live golds. He went on to share: "I've been in horticulture for 57 years and I'm still learning, it's one of those subjects where the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know. "A friend of mine described horticulture as the slowest form of art as it takes 20 years to reach its maturity. "We used to show a little alpine plant called Lewisia. What we tried to do is take a particular genus and try and get it to the highest possible level. "Then take on another family of plants and try and get them to that level. The beauty of plants is you don't have to be monogamous and can keep building them up." Since flinging open its doors to visitors in 2003, the garden has mushroomed over £500,000 for various charities. John confessed: "I wouldn't like to think how much I've spent on it, I wouldn't know. It's a passion, but it would be frightening." He further added, "The main thing is we've raised a lot of money for good causes in the process." And he finished by saying, "The garden is constantly changing right the way through the season, and I love it."
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Kingswinford garden's open days raise £500,000 for charities
A West Midlands garden has raised more than £500,000 for charities through open days for the Garden at Ashwood Nurseries near Kingswinford has been described by the National Garden Scheme as "stunning" and one of the finest private gardens in the UK, with an impressive collection of rare plants, trees and shrubs. It spans eight acres and was created by nursery owner and four-time Chelsea gold medallist John Massey who opens it to the public every Saturday. He told the BBC the garden had evolved "with lots and lots of fantastic help". It is close to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and has a pool and rock garden which Mr Massey said he was very fond of."There's always been a rock garden in my life ever since I was born and so we've got the pool with the rock garden round it, lots of different conifers; and conifers get so much bad press but I don't think you can have a garden for every day of the year without conifers in them," he said. "Nothing really has been planned but the great thing with plants in the garden is, if you get it wrong you can move them."He said every day of the year the plants and garden "attracted loads and loads of insects and birds". He said the money had been raised over what seemed a "long time"."I'm very proud of the team," he added."I'm very, very lucky. I've led a charmed life." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Northern Trust Names John Massey Senior Managing Director of Foundation & Institutional Advisors
GREENWICH, Conn., April 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northern Trust announced today that John Massey was promoted to Senior Managing Director for the Foundation & Institutional Advisors (FIA) practice in the East Region. In this role, Massey will lead a team focused on delivering sophisticated investment management solutions, strategic insights and world-class resources to private foundations, endowments and other nonprofit institutions. Previously, Massey served as a Senior Institutional Investment Advisor for the FIA practice. Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2012, Massey worked for the State of Connecticut's Pension Fund Management division as a Principal Investment Officer. Earlier in his career, Massey held various roles at AIG SunAmerica Asset Management, JP Morgan Asset Management and Standard & Poor's. "John brings a combination of leadership, strategic insight and client-first focus," said Darius A. Gill, National Practice Executive for FIA at Northern Trust. "We are excited to expand his impact across the East Region as we continue helping our private foundation and nonprofit clients achieve their financial and philanthropic goals." Massey received his bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Southern California. He has been involved in the Darien Youth Hockey Association and the Norwalk Grassroots Tennis program. Northern Trust Wealth Management offers holistic wealth management services for affluent individuals and families, family offices, foundations and endowments, and privately held businesses. It is recognized for its innovative technology, service excellence and depth of expertise, with $450.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024. The Northern Trust Company is an Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC. About Northern Trust Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 24 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 22 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2024, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US$16.8 trillion, and assets under management of US$1.6 trillion. For more than 135 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit us on Follow us on Instagram @northerntrustcompany or Northern Trust on LinkedIn. Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Landis
