A Gardener’s Last Spring: Remembering Edward Ward
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
October 31, 1804
On this day, gardener Edward Ward laid down his trowel for the last time. He was 92.
Edward wasn't just any gardener - he was part of an extraordinary lineage of gardeners that spanned two centuries. The Wards had tended the gardens at Troston Hall for over 200 years, passing the craft from father to son through generations.
Edward himself served as a gardener for more than seventy years, continuing a family tradition that began with his grandfather.
On a cold November day, Edward was laid to rest in the secluded churchyard at Troston Hall. His epitaph, both elegant and profound, captures the deep connection between a gardener and the seasonal rhythms that shaped his life:
Thus, thy long Round of Years and Toils fulfill'd
Rest, Good Old Man: no more to fear or hope
From the returning Seasons & their change,
Till the Great Spring arrive; & call thee forth
To Bloom, we trust, & Fruits, on earth unknown.
The metaphor of the "Great Spring" speaks to both resurrection and the eternal cycle of gardening that defined Edward's life. After witnessing over 70 springs in his garden, the epitaph suggests he awaits one final, glorious spring.
This beautiful tribute reminds us that gardening is more than a profession - it's a legacy that can span generations, connecting us to both the earth and our ancestors who tended it before us. Edward Ward's story embodies the dedication and deep roots that gardeners can establish in a single place, nurturing not just plants but a lasting heritage.