Ned had an incredibly varied upbringing before his time at The Weir Garden. His father was in the army which saw his family move to Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt and Wales all by Ned’s sixteenth birthday.
As a ten year old and whilst living in Colwyn Bay, Ned developed a love for wildlife and would spent hours wondering the hills and woods searching for butterflies, mini-beasts and mammals.
As a young man Ned worked abroad, moving from country to country from job to job either as a labourer, factory worker or indeed anything that would earn a decent wage. This lifestyle led him to live in India, Holland, Germany, Greece and Afghanistan before settling down to have a family in Britain. It was only in his late twenties, he realised what he truly wanted to do;his ideal would be to become a gardener, and spend more time outdoors with the wildlife he was so drawn to.
This is where Ned’s story at The Weir begins. In 1987, after two years working under the Head Gardener Jimmy Hancock at Powis Castle, Ned sealed the deal of becoming the first gardener in charge at The Weir.