Last week I attended funeral at Nailsea for one of my good friends, George Gilbert, known to many in the horticultural world.

George was Fruit Officer at The Royal Horticultural Society Gardens, Wisley, in the late 1940s to 1960s and then went on to be Farm Manager at Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol. He was a Cornishman and would not let anyone forget it! A very practical fruit man he had a great interest in the needs of the amateur gardener. He was a great communicator, always kind, considerate and friendly.

George served for many years on the RHS Fruit and Vegetable and Fruit Group Committees and he was one of the founder members of the Institute of Horticulture. Earlier he was awarded Associate of Honour by the RHS and recently made an Honorary Member of the Fruit Group. In his retirement he helped with the creation of the fruit plantations and orchards at RHS Rosemoor; he advised on televisions programmes and was a  consultant to the Heligan Garden restoration project. George still undertook lectures and was formerly a regular judge at RHS fruit shows.      


I am sure that all fruit lovers in the UK will be greatly saddened to hear the news of George Gilbert’s death. He was such a font of knowledge on fruit. Always genial, happy to answer questions and provide endless anecdotes about his time at Wisley and then at Long Ashton. You can catch a flavour of his personality in extracts of a lecture he gave in 2003, published in Everyone Can Grow Fruit: A Celebration of 60 Years of the RHS Fruit Group.

He is talking about the establishment of the present Wisley orchards and fruit collections:

My ‘first job, as a student, October 1948, was stone picking following cultivation of the area! Faced with this, some students commented that life in the forces had been better!’

Planting was completed by 1965, when in the July a tornado caused extensive damage to the fruit collection. ’Over 200 apple trees blown over, many in full crop, numerous plum trees were smashed. Four experts were called in to advise on the best action to take. Three said “ Scap everything and start again.” The fourth - Fred Roach said “ Scap nothing other than the plums, get irrigation, pull the apples back up and give tripod stakes.” This was done. The RHS supplied irrigation from River Wey and all the trees were saved. NB trees were left with apples on, from which the tree could take moisture when required.’.....

‘I had 17 wonderful years as Fruit Officer. My crowning moment - telling the assembled RHS Council on Fruit Field viewing of the Tornado disaster - that this was the first time Council had visited the Field in my 17 years! And they gave me an Associate of Honour even so!”

[Everyone Can Grow Fruit; celebrating 60 years of the RHS Fruit Group; edited by Alan Mansfield; published 2006 by the RHS Fruit Group ; 161 pp; some colour photographs. Copies obtainable from and payment to RHS Fruit Group Book Offer, PO Box 74, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 7UG; £18.00 total - £15.00 plus £3.00 p&p].