This is a transcription of an item in Horticulture Week www.horticultureweek.co.uk 14th August

Plant breeder, horticultural pioneer, one time MI5 suspect and owner
of Hill House Nursery Raymond Hubbard is celebrating 60 years in
horticulture this year.
Hubbard introduced commercial biological control in the 1960’s
building on his own experiments and with the help ob Lee Valley
horticultural station.
His correspondence with Russian botanists led MI5 to briefly suspect
him of spying after they mistook the use of horticultural terms for
code
Growing up on his family nursery in Essex, he entered the industry in
1948 at the age of 16 as a grower of salad crops.
Today he owns Hill House Nursery in Landscove, Devon which he runs
jointly with his son.
The firm crops more than 2000 varieties os nursery stock and Hubbard
has wone acclaim as a breeder and plant finder. Notable achievements
include Plectranthus cilatus ‘Sasha’, Phormium ‘Lord Jersey’,
Crocosmia ‘Krakatoa’, Dianthus ‘Old mother Hubbard’ and Nemesia
‘Bluebird’, which has sold more than 11 million plants, bred under
licence worldwide.
During his 60 year career he has only been away from horticulture to
complete his National service, during which he built an English
country garden for the officers mess in Egyptian Saraha Desert.

Jack Sidders Horticulture Week
14th August 2009