Ayrshire Rose expert wins prestigious award

Aug 1 2008 by Yonnie McInnes

Jane Hepburn

JANE Hepburn has been passionate about roses for years.

Now her green fingers have won her a prestigious Silver Lindley RHS medal.

Jane’s wonderful display showing different methods of growing roses caught the eye of judges at Royal Horticultural Society, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

And now she’s the only medal winner from Scotland.

The mum of two was thrilled to meet and chat about her award-winning display of roses with the Duchess of Cornwall.

She was there to open the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens Heritage Marquee to mark the 30th anniversary of this plant conservation charity and its National Plant Collection Scheme.

Jane is also the holder of an NCCPG authenticated National Rose Collection for her Rosa Rugosa and Rosa (climbers and ramblers) at her home in Ladyburn, near Maybole.

She, and husband David, and daughters Catriona and Kirstie, first moved into Ladyburn 20 years ago when they established Ladyburn as an award-winning Country House hotel – in the original dower house for the Fergussons of Kilkerran.

They had travelled the world together during his army career and this was Jane’s first opportunity to establish a permanent home.

It was in 2003 that she first seriously began to put together her collection of around 300 different varieties of roses in her five-acre Ayrshire garden.

“I was at a wedding and sat next to Henry Robinson’s wife Susie,” explained Jane.

“They grow the National Collection of rambler roses – all 120 of them at their home in Gloucestershire.

“We got talking about roses and that conversation really fired me up. I ended up contacting Peter Beale Classic Roses of Norfolk who could supply me with about 75 per cent of the varieties I was seeking.

“They have been amazing and really took me under their wing.”

Jane has more than 70 different climbing roses, 55 Rugosa, and 76 Hybrid Musks as well as Pimpinella folias (Scots roses).

She added: “For me roses are the nicest thing in the world and can mean so many different things to so many people. It’s such an emotional flower. After all, what do you send to the one you love? A bunch of beautiful red roses.”

Earlier this summer Jane, membership secretary of the Historic Roses Group, was invited to go to Rome where she was a judge at the International Rose Trials.

An open day is to be held at Ladyburn on Sunday, August 17, from 11pm to 4pm where roses will be on sale.

Entry is £3, including tea or coffee, and a donation will go to Help for Heroes.