Meet the apple doctor

KG editor Steve Ott chats to Glyn Smith, head gardener for the National Trust's Erddig estate in Wrexham, about his career and love of the garden he has tended for 38 years

-  Steve Ott

Where did your love of horticulture come from?

I come from a family of people who worked outdoors. My father's side worked on the land, in woodlands and farming, but I suppose I fell into gardening as a career when I left school. I was sent off for various jobs by Youth Opportunities, and the one I got was with the local parks department in Peterborough.

I worked through a four-year apprenticeship on the local parks department, and then the superintendent suggested I apply to become a student at Kew. They weren't recruiting at that time but sent an application form to me anyway. I thought 'I might as well have a go at this', and I ended up working in the herbaceous department.

I spent eight years at Kew and was in charge of one of the sections by the time I'd finished. But then I thought I'd move away for more experience and came here to Erddig.

I thought I'd go back a little while afterwards or move on to somewhere else but gained an instant family instead.

So, what do you love about the gardens?

It's one of the best properties in the National Trust. My interest, which I suppose grew at Kew, is in the history of gardens, and this is what I would call a missing link. Many of the gardens featured in history articles and books are ones that have been written about before. Erddig's a bit of a hidden gem.

Wales isn't one of the most renowned places for gardens and gardening, although we do have Bodnant and Powis, of course.