Jane (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Jane Sterndale-Bennett, who was one of England's foremost gardeners, died on Christmas Eve at the age of 63. She was a passionate, very knowledgeable and influential plantswoman who also became an internationally respected lecturer and author

She was born and brought up in Norfolk but lost her father Major Frederic Fitch M.C. who was killed during the Normandy landings in 1944. In the 1950's she lived in Kenya where her step-father was a District Commissioner.

On returning to the UK in 1961 she worked as secretary to the managing director of a major marine art gallery in London and later at McGill University in Montreal Canada where she met her future husband

She arrived at "White Windows" in Longparish in 1979 to a garden which had been derelict for two years. This gave her an opportunity to start with a blank canvas. Her aim was to create an informal country garden which would look attractive throughout the year. Hardy perennials were chosen as the mainstay of the garden alongside a full range of trees, shrubs and other plants. Foliage held the garden together adding interesting shapes and a wide variety of leaf colours

The garden was first opened to the public under the National Garden Scheme in 1984 and, after twenty years of continuous support raising several thousands of pounds for charity, she was awarded their silver trowel. The garden was also open to private groups. There have been some twenty thousand visitors with whom she generously shared her extensive knowledge.

The garden, which has become a Mecca for garden lovers from many parts of he globe has been featured several times on TV, in magazines, books and is frequently highly commended in guide books

In 1980 she joined the newly formed Hampshire group of the National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens, serving as Hon Sec from 1985 for ten years. She holds part of their National Collection of Hellebores in her garden and also played a leading role for their Chelsea Flower Exhibit in 1991.

She represented the NCCPG on the Hampshire Gardens Trust and in 1990 became their representative on the Steering Committee to set up the Dean Garnier Garden in The Close at Winchester Cathedral

Also in the early 1980's she joined the Hardy Plant Society and has been at the heart of their activities for the past twenty years tirelessly serving on several committees and finally as Chairman from 1996 to 2001. Again she played a leading role for their silver medal award at the Chelsea Flower Shows of 1989 and 1998.

Drawing on her personal experiences and supported by her own very high quality slides she became much in demand as a popular lecturer not only throughout Hampshire but right across the UK and abroad to Ireland, France, Canada, the United States, Japan and New Zealand. At the same time she was a regular contributor to several gardening journals, a weekly columnist for the Southern Echo, a Consultant for the recently published Hillier's Plant Names Explained. At the time of her untimely death, having been diagnosed with cancer only five weeks previously, she had just completed writing Hillier's The Winter Garden, due to be published in late 2006.

Despite her many public achievements Jane was essentially a very modest and private person. She married Barry Sterndale-Bennett in 1964, thereby becoming part of a distinguished musical family, and was very proud of her son Mark and daughters Erica and Victoria and devoted to six grandchildren.

A private funeral will take place at Longparish to be followed by a memorial service at a date to be advised

12:00am Thursday 5th January 2006