Comments on: Roy Genders, prolific garden writer

By: Judith Taylor

Judith Taylor — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:00:12 +0000

Emma,
I checked. Hannah Genders is not related to the family of Roy Genders. It is her married name but her husband is not part of that family.
Judith.

By: Judith Taylor

Judith Taylor — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:38:16 +0000

Dear Emma,
Interesting. Roy Genders had 3 sons and one daughter. Maybe one of his sons had a daughter named Hannah, or possibly one of heir offspring married a woman with that name. Do you live in Warwickshire where Hannah has her garden? Genders had a farm at Fanshawe Gate in Derbyshire a very long time ago, in the late 1940s.
I have corresponded with Mr Genders’ children and might be able to find out for you. They might even see this post.
regards
Judith

By: Emma

Emma — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:47:58 +0000

Hello Judith,

This is rather late in the day but I just came across your blog after looking up Roy Genders, having seen his name in a book about medicinal plants. The name rang a bell because at a local farm shop and garden centre near to me, a woman called Hannah Genders has an award-winning veg garden and runs gardening courses, see link below:
http://www.hillers.co.uk/Hannah-Genders-Garden.asp
Could this be Roy Genders’ granddaughter?

Best wishes,

Emma

By: Fred Walker

Fred Walker — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:14:14 +0000

Just to say hello to Maureen After many years!!!!!!

By: Bob Taylor

Bob Taylor — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:41:38 +0000

Judith,

Roy genders was a member of the National Auricula and Primula Society in the 1950’s. If you you would like his addresses in that period I can supply them.

With regards

Bob Taylor

By: gillison78

gillison78 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:16:00 +0000

I am an avid collector of gardening books and have almost all of Roy Genders

By: maureen

maureen — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:38:23 +0000

My mum is in a nursing home,now. She has a photo of my dad in her room and talks to him each day. She is not well enough to be contacted about Roy, I know you will understand. My brothers and I were very lucky to have such a lovely father, who would always break off his writing to help or play with us, it was a wonder he ever finished a book!

By: maureen Genders

maureen Genders — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:35:49 +0000

My Mum Kathleen is in a nursing home and not able give an interview, but she has my fathers photo in her roon and talks to him each day. I was so lucky to have Roy as a dad he was the kindest person and he is still talked about in a small town in Ireland, from when he visited in the 40s and 60s, he was well thought of and a really nice chap

By: Sue Leyland

Sue Leyland — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:59:21 +0000

Hi Judith,

I think you would need to contact Kathleen’s family for permission to correspond with her. I notice her son Clive replied to an earlier post, so perhaps you could contact him again.

I don’t know her family and I would not like to assume I could give you contact details. It would seem a bit presumptuous of me! I hope you understand.

Regards,
Sue.

By: Judith Taylor

Judith Taylor — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:08:24 +0000

Sue,
I was very interested to hear that Mrs Genders is in the same home as your mother. Do you think she is fit enough to do a little correspondence with me about her late husband? I would not want to tire her out or bother her too much.
If it would work out how could I get her address?
Judith

By: Sue Leyland

Sue Leyland — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:04:54 +0000

I have just come home from talking to Roy Genders wife, Kathleen. She is in the same nursing home as my mother and today she had just showed me her late husband’s book about roses. She was telling me what a prolific writer he was, so I googled him out of interest to see what else he had written and came across this correspondence. Coincidence indeed. She’s a lovely lady.

By: Judith Taylor

Judith Taylor — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:18:08 +0000

Neil, I did read “I Bought a Farm” and wondered how things worked out. I am happy to hear that everyone made it.
Did you ever imagine he would go on to write more than 100 books?
Judith

By: neil murphy

neil murphy — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:39:08 +0000

I knew Roy Genders very well as I lived next door to him. If you read his ‘I bought a Farm.’ you will find me mentioned as ‘the local doctors son’. I helped him set up a mushroom farm in the big barn and in so doing
fell through the floorboards which were rotten. He had a Rolls Royce and if he saw me coming home from school would give me a lift. I remember his wife Pauline even more; she was a cracker and a regular visitor to my early adolescent fantasy dreams. I did once write a John Betjemen-esque poem about the lady.
‘Pauline’s tresses fan my sleeping brow,
Her husky voice demands, ‘Now, Neil,Now!’
Sadly the drivel is now out of print because it never got any further than the back page of my maths book. I believe that she took off with a butchers boy thus breaking my heart.
All the locals thought Roy was a joke. He had one tractor lad called Harry
and, Fanshaw Gate being hilly, Harry spent a lot of time turning this tractor over on himself. In those days tractors didn’t have safety bars fitted so how he managed NOT to kill himself I’ll never know.
The ‘market garden’ was well, de mortuis nil nisi bonum. But he was a really nice guy. And my brother and I used to play cricket with him in the field next to the lane. Sometimes he would let us win.
Neil.

By: Judith Taylor

Judith Taylor — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:11:03 +0000

Dear Clive,
I am sorry if I made you seem to be too old! As someone who writes about plants and gardening people and needs a lot of time to get the research together your father’s output staggered me. It seemed hardly possible that anyone could be so productive and not only that, the content of some of his books is very valuable.
Have you spoken to your brother Bill? In the interval between my last entry and the present he and I have been corresponding. I would very much like to get your views on your father’ life and work and any other information you could share with me. You can get my e-mail address from the webmaster or from BIll.
Regards
Judith

By: Genders Clive

Genders Clive — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:03:27 +0000

Dear Judith,
Hello there,I am Roy Genders youngest son and a lot younger than in my 60s !
I am puzzled at your fascination on my fathers life and came across this website by accident.However if you wish to contact me then please do not hesitate to do so.
All best wishes
Clive.