A veteran gardener has hung up his spade and fork after 37 years at a renowned West Devon garden.
David Milburn has been presented with an award to mark his retirement from helping shape and nurture the charitable Garden House in Buckland Monachorum – a leader in horticultural innovation and training.
David has been part of a small team which landscaped the arboretum and tree walk, adding naturalistic features to the ten-acre garden near Yelverton, on the edge of Dartmoor.
David started his job at The Garden House near Yelverton in West Devon after nine years’ service in the Navy. As a seaman specialising in radar, he served in the Falklands conflict.
“This has been great job for me,’ he said. “I got to know the garden like the back of my hand and knew all the tasks that needed doing, and how to schedule them to fit in with the weather.
“It’s a lovely place to work. From the moment you go through the gate you’re in a beautiful landscape, with the birds singing and nature laid out in all its glory.”
One of David’s lasting legacies is an ornamental cascade and viewing area he created from stone unearthed during the landscaping work. He will be using his building skills in retirement to complete and decorate an extension at his home in Yelverton.
Nick Haworth, head gardener at The Garden House, said: “David’s long experience working here has made him a highly valued member of our small gardening team. It’s been a pleasure to work with him and we wish him the best for his retirement.”
Over his career at The Garden House, he has also been an on-call retained firefighter based at Yelverton Fire Station. The Garden House was presented with an award earlier this year which marked the partnership between David’s employer and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. The award thanks the Garden House for generously allowing him to drop his spade at a moment’s notice when summoned to 999 calls at Yelverton Fire Station. The award marked the Garden House’s public spirit and flexibility – the first time the trophy and certificate have been given to an employer.
David’s fire service has also benefited his Garden House colleagues as he has passed on knowledge from firefighter training, including health and safety, fire prevention, fire safety and first aid.
David, who has two older sons and two sporting teenage daughters – he drives the latter all over the country to events. He enjoyed the adventure of the Navy and even named his daughter Phoebe after one of the warships he served in, but craved an outdoor life when he left life at sea.
He said: “I tried several jobs, including on the family farm, but it didn’t have the combination of an adrenalin rush and outdoor life as the Navy. So, in the end I found the perfect combination of working outdoors here at The Garden House with the excitement of working for the fire service and not knowing what was happening when I was on a shout.”
