Who would have thought…
Who would have thought that life after retirement could be so much fun! writes Jo Butler who, with husband Andi, owns the award-winning garden at Grooms Cottage in Shropshire.
We have always been keen gardeners and Covid lockdown gave us the opportunity to spend more time in the garden, sprucing up areas, adding new plants and learning more about what works in our garden. Working as a nurse, it was important to get away from the pressures of work, focus on nature. The garden became a great retreat, slowing down the pace of life, soaking in the surroundings and enjoying the calm. It also provided a great source of exercise, surprisingly using muscles we didn’t know we had!
When lockdown was over and after 40 years working in the NHS, retirement beckoned. With spare time available the garden flourished and having visited other National Garden Scheme gardens, the timing seemed perfect to open for the Scheme, especially as fundraising supported nursing charities. A little apprehensive at first, the first garden opening was in 2021 just for one day and who would have thought it would be such a success.
Opening the garden brought so many benefits; socialising, talking about gardening, learning from others, meeting new friends, it’s true positivity leads to more positivity and encouragement which led to more garden projects being planned as our confidence and knowledge grew. We shared our gardening mistakes and mishaps and laughed so much about plants in the wrong place. Eventually we found a balance of what worked where and what we liked.
I discovered a love of hosta’s and shade loving plants and roses while Andi found interests in seeds and propagation, and from a plant perspective dahlia’s and tropicals. This was actually a great combination as is created harmony while we were both working in the garden on a daily basis but coming together for planning new projects.
In 2024, we were encouraged by friends and National Garden Scheme visitors to enter BBC Gardeners World Magazine “Gardens of the Year competition”, and to our absolute astonishment we were chosen as a finalist and while we didn’t win the judges vote, we did win “People’s Choice Award” with over 75% of the total votes.! We were blown away by the lovely comments and feedback, having to pinch ourselves that we were indeed winners.
Who would have thought where this would lead – visits to RHS Chelsea, RHS Malvern, BBC Gardeners World Live, BBC Gardeners World Podcast and local news and radio stories all increasing awareness of the work of the National Garden Scheme while raising money for charity. None of which could be done without a dedicated team of friends who help on open days with teas and cakes, freeing us up to chat to visitors, all of whom have lots of questions.
Another project close to our heart and nearby is The Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust, particularly the restoration project at Wappenshall Wharf, including restoration of the canal basin, the listed buildings and surrounding landscape. The land was contaminated with oil and coal and there were literally no signs of life!
The project has been entirely supported by volunteers of all ages, ranging from teenagers to those in their 90’s. And, in December 2025, we reached a major milestone by opening the café, this has been a roaring success, and attentions are now moving to the outside areas, landscaping and gardening project.
Who would have thought that opening our own garden for the National Garden Scheme would lead to Wappenshall Wharf community garden project, guided by our very amateur expertise.
Wappenshall Wharf Community Garden has been established to bring together volunteers who are particularly interested in the gardening side of the project, not everyone wants to work on or in the buildings and this is an opportunity to involve everyone in the outside space. We were thrilled to receive a Community Garden Grant to support the project this year too.
It is clear that volunteering brings a wealth of benefits to people of all ages, especially at times of social isolation, loneliness and for those who need emotional support. It gives a way to learn new skills, meet people, make friends and provide a safe place to talk to others.
You can visit Grooms Cottage when it opens for the National Garden Scheme on 11 & 12 July – or visit By Arrangement. For details CLICK HERE
Jo and Andi’s top tips for getting involved in volunteering
Have faith in your own abilities (we never thought for a second that we would enjoy gardening so much or that we could do it)
Chat through your ideas with others (this is how you will find out what others are thinking, silence tells you nothing)
Consider why you want to do it and what you will enjoy by doing it (exercise, socialising, learning something new) whether that is opening your garden or being a volunteer.
Don’t be afraid to take the first step (opening our garden for the National Garden Scheme was our first step)
Think about what you can offer, knowledge, expertise, experience, a friendly listener (anyone can volunteer, everyone has something to offer)
Bring people together and get them talking, find common ground and interest and this will generate enthusiasm (this for us was the ethos for volunteering for the Community Garden project)
Celebrate successes, and learn from mistakes, what went well, what could have been done differently (this is how we learn and provides a safe place to talk)
Most of all enjoy it! (accept not every day is a good day and some days we enjoy more than others)
To find out more and to get involved CLICK HERE
This article first appeared in the 2026 edition of The Little Yellow Book of Gardens and Health – you can read it here
