News of the death of Mrs Kath Dryden VMH; a great loss to the Alpine world

[Maggi Young]

I have had the very sad news that Kath Dryden VMH, an Honorary Vice President of the SRGC, died early this morning after a brave fight against illness. 
It is ironic indeed that Kath should pass away on the morning of the Judging Day at  the Chelsea Flower Show, where she was involved in the successes of so many AGS displays and where many of her friends are travelling to today for the Joint Rock Committee meetings etc.
She was a wonderful woman, full of knowledge and feisty of spirit. A plantswoman par excellence and a passionate grower who never tired of talking plants.
Kath  was an AGS Vice President and had served in many capacities for the society, including as President and  Director of Shows.  She had been awarded the SRGC Golden Jubilee Salver and the  AGS Lyttle Trophy.
She was no mean exhibitor herself, winning premier awards for all sorts of plants, from ericaceous gems to the pearls of the bulb world that so absorbed her time and attention.

My fondest memory of her show plants is of a truly enchanting planting of the diminutive orchid, Calypso bulbosa on a mossy piece of wood, looking for all the world  as though it were a tiny landscape, at the Alpines 1991 conference show.  Kath had an eye for the artistic as well as the botanical niceties.
A forthright person who "did not suffer fools gladly"; no, to say that is to deny her strength of feeling; she did not suffer fools at all; Kath could appear a very prickly person.
This did not prevent her from being a very kind giver of advice to any keen novice who sought her help and soon her kind and generous nature was clear to see.

Kath was devastated a few years ago to lose her beloved husband, Maurice. What a team they were! Kath was never quite the same after his death, the two of them truly made up the other's "half".

No doubt full accounts of Kath's long and eventful life and  her talents as a plantswoman will be made in the coming days.

For Ian and I , Kath was a dear, dear friend who we will miss very deeply.  The Alpine world will be a very different place now but Kath's recent suffering is over and we will remember her with joy and humour.
Our fondest thoughts are with her dear son, John, her daughter in law Sue, and their Family, who meant so very much to Kath.

[Gerry Webster]

Very sad news. I cannot claim to have known Kath well, but  I had a certain amount of contact with her when I was active in the Frit Group. On the basis of this limited acquaintance,  Maggi's summary of her character seems spot on. When I first met her I found her quite intimidating but eventually recognised the warm & generous person behind the prickly exterior. I experienced her generosity personally. At one of the shows I admired a couple of her frits - rare Chinese species - & she responded to  my compliments in her usual somewhat brusque manner. A few months later I received a small packet through the post containing bulbs of the two frits I had seen. I believe this was quite typical.

She will be much missed.   

[David Nicholson]

A great Lady and a great grower, sadly missed.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

What sad news... 
My sincere condolences to those she leaves behind !

[Otto Fauser]

Maggi said it all for all of us who knew her -she will be sorely missed. I found her a warm and loving person -never intimidating or prickly . But that was at 10 years intervals ,attending the International Rockgarden Conferences .There are a number of plants in my garden , from her garden , that will always refer to that great Plantswoman ,and I shall treasure our correspondence .

[afw]

My wife and I met Kath over thirty years ago when we lived in Sawbridgworth and helped out with the catering and policing of her garden on her Garden Open days.

Her reputation amongst growers of alpines and bulbs is hard to overestimate because she helped so many people to expand their knowledge of growing and showing them.

Although her passing was not totally unexpected when it finally happens it is a great shock and as Maggi said it was ironic that today, on the first day of Chelsea, we should learn of it.

I hope that her legacy in the form of her plants, books and notebooks will be a resource for future generations of alpine growers.

We, too, would like to extend our deepest sympathies to John and his family.

[annew]

It's only over the last few years that Kath and I have been corresponding about our shared love of daffodils. I will treasure her long letters, and the daffodils she very generously gave me. She was a lovely lady, although we never actually met, and always willing to share her wealth of knowledge with others. I will miss her.

[Lesley Cox]

I met her only briefly in 1981 but found her to be a warm and kindly person, friendly to an obscure person from the other side of the world. A great loss to all who love alpine plants.

[Carol Shaw]

David & I only met Kath once she was sitting beside the pool at John Amand's house holding court. Her knowledge was all encompassing and she will be sadly missed by many.

[Maggi Young]

Here are details for Kath Dryden's funeral service:

The Service will be held at St Mary the Virgin : Church Lane , Sheering , Essex , CM22 7NR
at 11.30 on  Monday June 1st, 2009
 
Flowers or Donations to St Clare Hospice C/O Daniel Robinson & Sons, 3, Bullfields, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, CM21 9DB - to arrive by 10am on the day.
All friends  are respectfully invited.
 

[Rob Potterton]

Kath was affectionately known in our househould for many year as "that bloody cockney". She quite liked that nickname. RIP

[johnw]

The countless great plants that originated with or were introduced by Kath Dryden is staggering.  She singlehandedly raised the standards to lofty heights. What an eye for perfection. Quite an amazing woman to whom we all owe so much whether we realize it or not.

johnw

[Eric Locke]

Having known Kath for many years ,I will certainly miss tapping in to her endless knowledge which she passed on with such enthusiasm whenever we met.
A wonderfull lady ,who will be so sadly missed by us all.

Eric

[ichristie]

I have had so many thoughts about Kath as we kept in touch every week sometimes every day and I usually got a telling of about something but she was  so incredibly helpfull and I made her laugh when I said that when I asked her about a plant or a bulb the information given was so detailed right down to the colour of underwear that the person was wearing when they collected the plant. I was preseted with the Kath Dryden award in 2006 by the AGS and one customer wrote to congratulate me and I use his words, 'I met Kath Dryden once at a Harrogate show a tall elegant lady who marched round the exhibits followed by a string of trembling officials'. That to me was Kath who was one of our greatest plantpersons ever,   cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Sarah Dryden]

I would just like to say, thank you so much to all of you for your wonderful tributes to my beloved grand-mother. Although expected, her passing has left a void in our lives which will take sometime to adjust to. 

On behalf of the whole family, I would like to say how much your comments have helped us.  It is so wonderful to know how much impact she had on everyone's lives and not just our own.

With love, Sarah Dryden x