Champion rose grower and communist
By Ella Finney, Assistant Curator
To celebrate the gift of this portrait of Harry Wheatcroft to our collection, this week we’re looking at the Nottingham rose king, Harry Wheatcroft, who was known for his flamboyant appearance and opinions.
Before becoming a nurseryman with his brother Alfred, Wheatcroft had almost become a politician, perhaps explaining his gift for public-relations and promotion. His parents had been dedicated members of the Independent Labour Party, whose leaders visited the modest family home. He registered as a conscientious objector to World War I and was court-martialled for disobedience before being sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in Wormwood Scrubs. Wheatcroft’s later prosperity never blunted his sometimes naïve expression of left-wing views.
The horticultural firm of Wheatcroft Brothers was established in 1919, with a bicycle as the only means of transport, and in 1920 roses became a specialty. His brother Alfred managed the business side and Harry was the salesman. Their savvy advertising relied heavily on the clever promotion of the introduction of new rose varieties to Britain from abroad. Harry’s flair for naming these new roses, often linking them to contemporary events in England, was crucial to their business’s success.
In 1927 they named the Princess Elizabeth rose to honour her birth, and after World War II, introduced Francois Meilland’s Peace rose from France, which caused a sensation. Other successful varieties were the Queen Elizabeth rose from the USA, named to pair with the Queen’s coronation in 1955, and Fragrant Cloud from 1962. Fragrant Cloud was so strongly perfumed that Harry tantalised Chelsea Flower Show-goers by putting a single flower in a glass and hiding it under a black cloth, inviting visitors to breathe in the intoxicating scent. The RHS’s flower show was Harry’s time to shine, famously committing a social indiscretion one year by staging his roses shirtless. In 1972 an appropriately bright red and yellow rose was named after Harry.
Based in Ruddington, the Wheatcroft nursery was open to the public. A 1970s catalogue promised that for ‘rose-lovers, there is no finer ‘day out’…Thousands upon thousands of magnificently blossoming plants; hundreds of varieties in all colours and shapes…No formalities, no entrance charge, no passes required – just come!’ Wheatcroft roses were for everyone.
In 1962, when longstanding strained relationships with his brother came to a head, Wheatcroft joined his sons in a rival firm, which bought out the older company to become the Wheatcroft Organization. With his family running the day-to-day business, Wheatcroft gave his publicity skills free rein. He grew extraordinary whiskers, dressed in bright three-piece suits and travelled around the country in a maroon Rolls-Royce.