PARKER, it’s all in the name, and paying homage to those that came before.
Fred Parker was a man of many talents, building hundreds of homes in New Plymouth, running a plant nursery and also opening his home garden to thousands of overseas visitors per year. With his foresight he planted out Devon Intermediate School and West End School with the beautiful large native trees we see today, along with many more around the region. These plantings went on to see him receive an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) award; he was also made an Associate of Honor by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and a life member of the Pukekura Park and Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust.
Parkers Gardens were his personal collection that were held at his home. Thousands of overseas visitors would visit it yearly for a donation, which was then passed on to various charities. When his wife Agnes died he donated a large portion of his orchids to Pukekura Park and oversaw the construction of the glass houses they were to be housed in. This was the beginning of the Pukekura glasshouses we see today; many of the plants of Fred’s still thrive there. The Fred Parker lawn was dedicated as a memorial for his services as a life member of the park.
Many generations later the PARKER director, and green thumb (Sean Parker), believes it is an honor to continue on the family name and wonderful work that was contributed to the city by his great grandfather. Correctly planted landscapes can thrive for many generations, as shown by Fred. These generational benefits can be huge, and we can only hope we have some of the impact that Fred and his family had on New Plymouth and the industry.