Pamela Underwood

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Pamela Underwood
Born10 March 1910
, Ireland
Died1978
NationalityUnited Kingdom
Occupationnursery owner
Known forsilver plant enthusiast
Spouse(s)1.
2. Desmond Underwood
Parent(s)Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 10th Baronet
Alice des Vœux

Pamela Underwood born Pamela Richenda Cubitt Montgomery-Cuninghame later known as Mrs Desmond Underwood (10 March 1910 – 1978) was a British florist and nursery woman. She was an early enthusiast for flower arranging and she wrote about "Grey and Silver Plants".

Life[]

Underwood was born in the townland of in 1910 in County Kildare. Her parents were Alice Frances Denison des Voeux and Colonel Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 10th Baronet.[1] Her mother was a daughter of Sir William Des Vœux and a great-granddaughter of Sir Charles des Voeux, 1st Baronet. In 1925 her parents divorced. Her father remarried in the same year Nancy Macaulay Foggo of British Columbia and she would in time gain two half brothers.[2] In 1926 her mother married the civil servant Sir Aubrey Symonds.[3]

She was described as a formidable woman and she owned Ramparts nursery near Colchester.[4] In the early 1950s she was keen on flower arranging. She had a friend, Beth Chatto who lived nearby. Underwood persuaded Chatto to get involved and they were two of the founder members of the second flower arranging club in the country, in Colchester.[5] She encouraged Beth Chatto to demonstrate her flower arranging which founded her a new career.

Underwood's interest was in silver foliage plants which she exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show. Some described her plants as "weeds" but eventually she would win prizes of silver medals. In time this rose to two gold medals and the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour[4] in 1977.

Writing[]

She wrote "Grey and Silver Plants" which was published in 1971 using the name of "Mrs Desmond Underwood".[6]

References[]

  1. ^ "Underwood [née Montgomery Cuninghame], Pamela Richenda Cubitt (1910–1978), florist and nurserywoman". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67021. Retrieved 6 April 2021. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. pp. 995–996. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
  3. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, ed. (1939). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (97th ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 707. ISBN 0-00-082331-7.
  4. ^ a b "(Where did you find those) Unusual Plants?". Garden Museum. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Obituary - Beth Chatto, influential gardener and writer". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  6. ^ Underwood, Mrs Desmond (1971). Grey and Silver Plants. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-214056-0.
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