Belfast parks gardener Archie Parke hanging up tools after 50 years

For not only did Archie cycle to and from his former home in Antrim to Belfast every day for his first three years, but in his downtime he was also a globetrotter who visited a staggering 80 countries. He even once earned kudos for his floral designs from TV legend Bruce Forsyth.

But now Archie, the longest-serving employee in Belfast’s Parks and Recreation department, has retired and is going to take root in Northern Ireland after he hangs up his trowels and secateurs.

Instead, he will be devoting his energies to looking after a new companion in his life, a six-year-old King Charles spaniel called Mollie.

Archie (67) also plans to make improvements to his own garden at his current home in Ballymena, but he hopes to be a regular visitor back to Botanic Gardens, where his friends say he knows every corner of the place, from flower beds to rose gardens, from herbaceous borders to the limestone rockery.

After leaving school at 16, Archie honed his gardening skills at Grovelands Training Centre on a Belfast parks apprenticeship scheme and he was later honoured with a top student award at Greenmount.

After a few months in Ormeau Park, Archie moved to Botanic Gardens aged 17.

Remarkably he stayed there for the rest of his green-fingered career, explaining: “I was learning every day. And I could tell you the location of every cable, pipe and drain in this park.”

Archie has spent nine years working in the greenhouses and trying to maintain the Palm House, which was in a poor condition before it was renovated and reopened in the 1980s.

“It was full of holes and there were around 200 cats in the House. Local women used to come in and feed them,” he recalls.

Botanic Gardens supervisor Colin Agnew says Archie can turn his hand to anything, adding: “He’s always been a perfectionist, a highly skilled gardener with a great work ethic. His creative skills were amazing. His seasonal Palm House displays were exceptional and the delight of many an amateur and professional photographer.

“Even the late Bruce Forsyth, who was at Botanic Gardens to film a TV programme, was blown away by Archie’s displays. I can still recall how he turned the corner into the cool wing of the Palm House and when he saw Archie’s creations he just went ‘Wow’.”

Archie’s talents as a garden designer had also been acclaimed at Belfast City Hall, where for eight years he was responsible for designing the colourful floral decorations at the Rotunda, staircases and in the Mayor’s Parlour, particularly at civic functions in more affluent times for the council.

Another part of his work was concerned with designing the floral arrangements for the huge concrete tubs that were a common sight in Belfast in the 1980s.

He was also an integral part of the council’s team who went to flower shows across the water where the aim was to encourage more people to visit Belfast at the height of the Troubles.

Another focus of his duties was dealing with health and safety issues at Botanic and for a time he spent some of his time working in the historic Friar’s Bush graveyard next door to the Gardens.

Looking back at his wanderlust days, Archie, a single man, reveals a highlight was going coast to coast in America with colleague John Cassells, who retired last year after 48 years at Botanic.

Archie was able to indulge his passions for the movies, from Elvis Presley and John Wayne films to sci-fi classics like Star Trek.

At the other end of the scale, Archie admits he’s a fan of the Sound of Music and he visited film locations in Salzburg in Austria.

Other favourite destinations included Switzerland and cruising along the Nile and in Norway also excited him.

“I tried to buy pin badges everywhere I visited,” explains Archie. “And I’ve placed as many of them as I can on a special hat.”

Some of Archie’s adventures were akin to a busman’s holiday for him as he explored new countries to find new ideas to enhance his gardening prowess.

“I was really impressed with the springtime bulb fields in Holland and at Aaalsmeer Market, which is the largest flower auction in the world,” says Archie, who thought nothing of his long-distance 40-mile round trips on his bike to and from Antrim.

“As the years went on, however, I got myself a series of motorbikes before I invested in a car.”

Colin Agnew stresses Archie will be missed at the Gardens and the feeling is mutual.

“Of course it is,” says Archie. “Botanic has been so much a part of my life that I’m bound to miss it. I’ve loved seeing the happiness Botanic brings to people’s lives, especially in the summer.

“I’ve also enjoyed it when visitors stopped to ask me questions and I always tried my best to answer them.”

Archie was also involved with the staging of huge concerts at Botanic by the likes of U2, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.

“But I can also remember a time when there were show jumping events held here too,” says Archie, who has been immortalised on canvas by the popular Belfast artist Brian Ballard.

Colin Agnew adds: “Brian selected five members of staff at Botanic to paint and captured Archie and his splendid flowing white beard to a tee.”