REMEMBERING PETER ALLEY

One of the great things about the horticulture sector is the people involved, and earlier this year we lost one of the most respected, colourful and energetic of them all, Peter Alley. The founder of Dundrum Nurseries is fondly remembered by all who knew him. Horticulture Connected is happy to share some memories from three of his closest industry colleagues.

Full of Surprises

Peter Alley was always much more than a business colleague. In fact I would say anyone who did business with him would say it was impossible to simply have a business relationship with him. A visit to his nursery was never a matter of being in and out. To visit you had to set aside a day …at least! A walk around the nursery gave way to dinner around the kitchen table and long discussions on every possible subject. He was a polymath, a creative man with passion for so many things. It didn’t matter what he was involved with, he would invest so much of himself. One day he would be zipping around nurseries in Holland, the next directing a musical, or making hurleys. I recall looking up at an early Kildare Growers event to see a helicopter landing. Peter was inside. The pilot was his son. He was full of surprises.

Kieran Dunne, L & K Dunne Nurseries

Ahead of his time

From the early nineties I had a national role in Teagasc to coordinate advice and training for the nursery stock sector. I quickly got to know Peter through his attendance at meetings, seminars, conferences and other events that took place throughout the country. One of my first visits to Dundrum followed my presentation at a conference in Kildare where I showed the results of nursery field trials, testing a range of weedkillers on container nursery stock. Following a visit to the nursery and having walked through the large area of container grown stock I made out my recommendations. I then adjourned to the home of Peter and Josie where I was royally wined and dined. Further visits followed and one of the striking aspects of the business was the continual growth and expansion in both container and field grown stocks.

Peter in those early years had been travelling over and back to Holland on a frequent basis and as well as importing a range of material for the wholesale market, he also saw the opportunity and potential for homegrown material particularly trees for the Irish market. He and his staff quickly mastered the art of chip budding and eventually became one of the largest suppliers of whips particularly the difficult to produce Acer platanoides varieties. Peter was always alert to an opportunity and his visits to Holland paved the way for the setting up of the Celtic Plantarium in the nineties. He was a man well ahead of his time as many garden centres in recent years saw the necessity of having planted or demonstration areas in proximity to their garden centres. I still have many pleasant memories of the opening of the Plantarium in the company of Peter and the late Derek Davis.

One of my outstanding memories of Peter is when he was part of a group of twenty nurserymen that toured the west coast of America in the mid-nineties. When I was organising the tour Peter rang me to say he would love to visit states like Oregon and Washington not only to see the nursery development in those states but also see two major forestry states in the U.S. He expressed his delight at sailing on the Colombia River beside huge shipments of timber moving down the 2000 kilometre river. One of my memories of that river voyage was Peter outlining the influence Washington had on our own forestry industry. He also gave us an insight into David Douglas who introduced Douglas fir into the British Isles from a nearby island off the coast of Washington. Night time was special in the company of Peter and in Irish pubs in Seattle and Portland his musical and operatic talents entertained not only our nursery group but also the many Irish Americans out for a night on the town. Hi recital of Slieve na mBan demonstrated the musical entertainment qualities possessed by Peter in abundance.

For many years I tried to get Peter to share some of his thoughts and experiences from a lifetime in the industry at our national conference. Two years after I retired my successor the late Jim Kelleher succeeded and Peter gave one of the most interesting and informative presentations given from the heart that I have ever listened to. I had occasion to visit him once more after that conference when I was shown a range of product that Peter was acting as agent for and hoping to sell into some of the multiple chains.

Peter above all was a great family many and very proud of his adopted county. Any time I met him his question was always, when are Tipp going to beat Kilkenny? His own quote very much demonstrates the type of man Peter was “being together, bonded and pride in their home place, community spirit and huge enthusiasm” that was Peter.

May he rest in peace! Paddy Gleeson

An Inspiration

It was with great sadness and regret that we laid our friend and fellow nurseryman, Peter Alley, to rest near his beloved Dundrum. I have known Peter for thirty years and in that time we have been good friends and business associates.

Over the years, we travelled abroad and I witnessed Peter having “lightbulb” moments. When he got the bit between his teeth with a new idea his enthusiasm, courage and determination was something to witness. He inspired me and, I’m sure, others to follow and take chances that we might not normally have taken.

Peter was always ready to have a laugh, a chat, a pint, a song or a brain storming session as to what we should or shouldn’t be doing in the nursery business. He was always supportive, never afraid of competition and did not suffer fools easily.

Peter’s rock was his beloved Josie and he was so proud of all his family and they supported him all the way in his many business ventures.

After a long battle with illness borne with courage, great fortitude and dignity Peter went to sleep last month. Rest easy, good friend! Charles Shaw, Turlough Nursery, Turlough, Castlebar. ✽