Garden News’ show man Jack Wood dies

FORMER Garden News show reporter, Jack Wood, has died at the age of 89.
Jack regularly reported on shows for GN from 1961 and was a stalwart contributor to the paper for almost 40 years.

Born in Sheffield in 1921, Jack Wood began gardening on his father’s allotment, aged 16. He entered his first show as a competitor in 1945 and was soon winning prizes for his chrysanths and passed the National Chrysanthemum Society judges exam in 1958, sparking his judging career.
His first writing job was as English correspondent for Downbeat, an American jazz publication (he was an avid jazz enthusiast and collector).
Over the years Jack reported on hundreds of shows for Garden News
and had an uncanny knack of picking out show winners even before
judging had taken place.
In 1997 he was made an Associate of Honour in the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual awards, in acknowledgement of his work reporting flower shows for GN and for his contribution as a judge and grower. He was also a silver medallist for the Royal National Rose Society and vice president of the Yorkshire Carnation Society.
Jack lived in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and leaves a daughter,