Grampa Greenhouse

The inspiration behind ‘Grampa Greenhouse’

Grampa Greenhouse was a much loved family member of Pam from our Inverness store and her family. Grampa Greenhouse was named by his two great grandchildren to describe their Grampa back in the early 1990’s. His real name was Wilf and at the time was in his early 80’s. By the 90’s Grampa Greenhouse had enjoyed his greenhouse for over 60 years, starting with his first when he was just 17 and living in Derby.

In 1970 he moved to Caithness, and within two years he had built a 40ft (13m) greenhouse for growing tomatoes and carnations, his favourite flower. His greenhouse was heated by a boiler and he sold tomato plants for over 25 years to the residents of Caithness. he spent nearly every daylight hour in the greenhouse or garden, doing anything with plants. His spade has a mirror finish through many decades of use, being wiped down with an oily rag after every use.

He lived and breathed gardening for well over 70 years. It really was his life, and he spent his last years treating his great grandchildren to his gardening tales, in the warmth of his heated greenhouse. He was a warm and gentle man who knew what really mattered to him.