A GREEN-fingered borough resident has been recognised by the Queen in her New Year’s honours list.

Rosamund Wallinger will receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to gardening heritage and the community in Basingstoke and Deane.

The 74-year-old and her husband John moved to Upton Grey in 1984.

Once settled in their new property, it came to Rosamund’s attention how wild the garden surrounding the newly purchased property had become. The garden originally been laid out by Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most important garden designers of the 20th century.

With no prior gardening experience, Mrs Wallinger set out on a two-year task of restoring the garden to its former glory.

In restoring the garden, Mrs Wallinger gave a considerable amount of time and effort to deciphering Jekyll’s original planting plans and then sourcing the plants that Jekyll had used from across the world.

It was here that her love and passion for gardening ignited. Through sheer mental and physical hard work, laced with utter determination, she is now recognised worldwide for the meticulous attention to detail she has shown by faithfully bringing back to life the garden of The Manor House, Upton Grey laid out by Jekyll in 1908.

Describing her labour of love the 74-year-old added: “I guess its like a parent having to raise triplets or quadruplets. It is hard work, but you love every minute of it.

“To be embraced into the gardening world has been wonderful and I have met some incredibly knowledgeable people along the way.”

Now, Mrs Wallinger and her husband host garden visits at the Manor where people come from all over the world to see the garden and get a feel for how it once looked.

She added: “I guess that is one thing as a British person you can be proud of saying that you are bringing in tourism in the country.”

On finding out she would be presented with a BEM Mrs Wallinger told The Gazette: “I was really happy, it is an enormous pat on the back to be recognised for the hard work I had put in.”

Full list of those honoured in Hampshire:

KNIGHTS BACHELOR

Professor Jonathan Robert Montgomery. Chair Health Research Authority and Professor of Healthcare Law, University College London. For services to Bioethics and to Healthcare Law. (Southampton, Hampshire)

ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

CBE

Barry Thomas Burton. Director Corporate Operations, Defence Equipment and Support, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence. (Hampshire)

Brig Paul Andrew Flanagan. Secretary General UKspace Trade Association. For services to the UK Space Sector. (Fleet, Hampshire)

Professor Huon Hamilton Gray. National Clinical director for Heart Disease NHS England and consultant Cardiologist, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Cardiology. (Romsey, Hampshire)

Susan Jane Hemming, OBE. Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Crown Prosecution Service. For services to Law and Order, particularly in Counter Terrorism. (Hampshire)

Christopher Packham. Conservationist and Broadcaster. For services to Nature Conservation. (Southampton, Hampshire)

OBE

Mark Allen. Chief executive Dairy Crest. For services to the Dairy Sector. (Hampshire)


David John Cowley. Chairman and Trustee The Not Forgotten Association. For services to Service Personnel. (Hampshire)

Nigel John Duncan. Principal Fareham College. For services to Further Education. (Whiteley, Hampshire)

Professor David James Martin. Professor of Geography. University of Southampton. For services to the Geography and to Population Studies. (Romsey, Hampshire)

Elsa Mary Morris. For public and political service in the European Parliament. (Winchester, Hampshire)

Stephen David Trow. For services to Heritage. (Southampton, Hampshire)

Dr Stephen Alan Wootton. Associate Professor in Human Nutrition University of Southampton. For services to Nutrition and to Physical Exercise. (Eastleigh, Hampshire)

MBE

Mark John Ainsworth-Smith. Consultant Pre-Hospital Care Practitioner South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. For services to Emergency Care and to Major Trauma. (Southampton, Hampshire)

Rebecca Emily Chester. Consultant Nurse and Chair National Learning Disability consultant Nurse Network, Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. For services to People with Learning Disabilities. (Alton, Hampshire)

Mark Robert Stuart Dixon. For services to Children and to Young People in Hampshire. (Eastleigh, Hampshire)

Peter Robin Edgar. Executive Member for Education Hampshire County Council. For services to Education and to the community in Gosport. (Alverstoke, Hampshire)

Robert Mark Esbester. Team Leader and Student Trainer Vision Aid Overseas. For voluntary service to Eye Care in Africa. (Waterlooville, Hampshire)

Bryan Flawell. Prison Officer HM Prison, Isle of Wight. For services to HM Prison Service and the community on the Isle of Wight. (Isle of Wight)

Professor Stephen Anthony Foster. For services to the Arts in Southampton. (Southampton, Hampshire)

Colin Bruce Gray. For voluntary service to the community in Fleet Hampshire. (Hampshire)

Dr Wendy Jones. Founder The Breastfeeding Network, Drugs in Breast Milk Service. For services to Mothers and Babies. (Waterlooville, Hampshire)

Claire Mary Little. Programme manager Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre. For services to Defence. (Hampshire)

Michael David Roberts. Personnel Capability Officer Army HQ Secretariat. For services to the Army and to Gurkha Personnel and Veterans. (Andover, Hampshire)

Dean Michael Alexander Rogers. Payroll-giving Coordinator Royal Naval and Royal Marines Charity. For services to Charitable Fundraising. (Fareham, Hampshire)

Ian Swift. Head of Housing Solutions Southwark Council. For services to Homeless People. (Headley Down, Hampshire)

Rhydian Peter Vaughan. For public and political service. (Little London, Hampshire)

Steven Vear, JP. For voluntary service in Hampshire. (Andover, Hampshire)

Jocelyn Walters. Research Delivery manager University Hospital Southampton and Founding Member, National Cancer Research Network. For services to Cancer Research. (Redlynch, Wiltshire)

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL

BEM

Kenneth Avery. Special Inspector Hampshire Constabulary. For services to Policing and the community in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. (Hampshire)

Geoffrey John Banks. For services to the community in Cowes. (Cowes, Isle of Wight)

Terence John Blunden. For services to the community in Newport Isle of Wight. (Newport, Isle of Wight)

Peter Graham Brinsden. For services to the community in Farnham Surrey. (Farnham, Hampshire)

Irene May Harman. Organist HMS SULTAN. For voluntary service to the Church in the Royal Navy. (Gosport, Hampshire)

Graham John Hewitt. For services to People with Multiple Sclerosis in Hampshire. (Gosport, Hampshire)

Juliette Doris Rosemary Hewitt. For services to People with Multiple Sclerosis in Hampshire. (Gosport, Hampshire)

Rosamund Elizabeth Wallinger. For services to Gardening Heritage and to the community in Basingstoke Hampshire. (Hampshire)

QUEEN'S FIRE SERVICE MEDAL

QFSM

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andrew Shaun Bowers. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Firefighter Kevin Neil Taylor. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.