It’s a long way from Sydney to Tooting, but John Greco started out tending gardens in his home city before reaching London via America along the way. Gardening isn’t the only thing he and his team are responsible for at St George’s – they keep the grounds safe in winter to ensure ambulances, patients and staff can still get in.
This interview is part of a series, going behind the scenes to get to know the people who keep NHS services working.
Meet John
Tell us about your job and how you got there
I’m Australian – I’m from Sydney – and I have a bachelor in horticultural science and landscape design. I also studied and worked in California at a place called San Luis Obispo. I started off working at the University of Sydney as a gardener, moving up to being the boss by the time I left 10 years later.
I moved over here six years ago because I wanted to learn English horticulture. I started working in Regent’s Park and then I worked for a private boutique horticultural firm before moving to St George’s three years ago.
What’s a typical day like?
We start by managing the rubbish as that is very much part of the team’s job. We do the bin run and the litter run to clean up the place and that includes making sure the roads, gutters and drains are clear.
Then we’ll do other type of horticulture-related things, whether that’s leaf clearing, which is a big job in autumn, or planting bulbs. Every year St George’s Hospital Charity kindly gives us money to buy around 10,000 tulip bulbs that puts on an amazing display from the end of March to early May. People come from the hospital and throughout the local area to look at them and the gardens.
I would say the busiest time of the year for us is in the summer, which is obviously a growing season, so we need to look after all the hedges, lawns, weeds and plants. And if it’s very hot, we have to work hard to keep everything alive.
What made you decide to work in the NHS?
I liked the idea of running my own show, being head of grounds and gardens, and I also wanted to transform a place to make it beautiful for people to enjoy rather than working for people who might not appreciate it in quite the same way.
Is there a time which highlights how your job helps people?
A lady approached me one day and asked me if I worked in the gardens and I said that I did, together with my team. She wanted to let me know that her daughter had just passed away and she’d been here for two weeks seeing her and if she hadn’t had these gardens, she didn’t know how she would have got through that time. She said that while I just work in these gardens, she would remember them for the rest of her life. I’ll never forget that. And it was lovely to get recognition for what we’re doing to help people.
What is the biggest challenge for your team?
In winter, when there’s frost, ice and snow, we‘ll come in, if needed, out of hours to keep the place up and running. Last winter there was one time when the team came in at 9pm on a Sunday night so ambulances and people could still come in. They worked over the next few days to keep it all under control. If we don’t do our job, everything shuts down – nobody would be able to come into the hospital.
What do you get up to when you’re not gardening?
I love travel – I travel as much as I can. I love Greece. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Italy, France and Spain are among my favourites too. Back home, I’ve travelled up the east coast of Australia and I’ve been to Uluru and the Northern Territories.
What would you be doing now if you hadn’t chosen this career?
I’m not sure – that’s difficult! I’d have to say I’d be a mystery reviewer going to hotel rooms – somewhere like the Maldives – and staying for a few days before writing a review.