A Wiveliscombe woman who decided to have a midlife career change and become a gardener, is bringing back to life a care home rose garden where the blooms had died or were decaying.

Jennifer Kenn, lead gardener at Dunkirk Memorial House near Bishop’s Lydeard, is eighteen months into an ambitious five-year plan to restore the one acre rose garden originally planted up with prestige David Austin roses, including some discontinued types no longer found elsewhere.

And already the hundreds of shrubs and climbers have been putting on a colourful show this summer that has delighted the home’s residents and their families, as well as staff.

“It was a very sorry rose garden and no-one knew how to repair it, but people here are very passionate about it,” said Jennifer.

“For families and their family members here it’s a place for reflection and memories, or a sweet time to be together, and we knew it was important.”

Jennifer, who only works three days a week alongside a fellow part-time gardener who helps maintain the home’s 17 acres, realised soon after she arrived almost two years ago, that she could not transform the rose garden without aid.

So as well as help from the David Austin designer who created it originally and has guided her on resuscitating it, Jennifer put out the call to Royal British Legion volunteers (the home is run by the RBL for the Armed Forces community).

“Six incredible people turned up and have not left since, they have done an amazing amount of work. I couldn’t have done it without them and we are now as on top of it as we can be,” she said.

A number of factors had led to the rose garden’s decline, she explained, from the plants not receiving the feed and watering roses need, to weed killer being put on the beds and destroying the soil and rose roots, as well as trees being put in that took nutrients away.

Ideas about removing each section of soil and replacing it proved too costly, so the plans now include resting and conditioning the soil, making sure the roses and climbers they have are more disease resistant, and doing tough pruning this winter, as they work on each of the three large, circular rings the acre is divided into.

And that is in addition to the pond area, several garden areas, lawns, two fields, new orchard and five beehives that need looking after.

For Jennifer herself, “this job is everything I could think of. Yes, we need to do maintenance but I have freedom to be a gardener, and they are really good about letting me be creative.”

Having originally been in the army for six years and then home schooled her two children, Jennifer opted for a midlife career change during Covid, and studied horticulture at Cannington College.

“I love gardening. You have to think about what you really want to do, and I had time to do that, and do courses.”