Souvenirs of greatness

FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.

- Kathryn Bradley-Hole

They came from one of the horticultural wonders of the 20th century, the celebrated Ingwersen nursery, once located on the Gravetye Estate in West Sussex, home of the gardener-turned-publishing mogul William Robinson (1838–1935).

Young Walter Ingwersen, a German-born alpine-plant specialist, spent part of the First World War interned as an enemy alien, but was eventually released to administer the rock garden for the RHS at Wisley in neighbouring Surrey. After the war, he teamed up, first, with Clarence Elliott and later, Gavin Jones, two überluminaries of the then deeply fashionable world of boulder landscapes and alpine plants.

In 1926, Robinson offered Ingwersen the tenancy of Birch Farm at Gravetye, with its 16th-century timber-frame farmhouse. Thus, the family business of W. E. Ingwersen was established. It gained worldwide renown for the range and quality of its alpine plants, winning numerous Gold medals at Chelsea. Walter and his elder son, Will, travelled nationwide, building fabulous rock gardens for clients, and went further afield on plant-hunting jaunts.