ABSTRACT
Jacky Tyrwhitt took her time looking for land on which to build her house in Greece. Jacky's land, known as Sparoza, featured a panoramic view with a glimpse of the Aegean, and was completely undeveloped. As Jacky gradually acquired land, she also began restoring the landscape of Sparoza, which was nearly barren, except for a small olive grove. In 1964, Jacky spent a couple of days a week in the herbarium of the newly opened Goulandris Natural History Museum. She introduces non-native plants that would thrive in the Mediterranean climate and in Sparoza's alkaline soil. Jacky's garden promoted international exchange in a direct as well as a metaphorical manner. With the help of her young horticultural assistants, Jacky's garden thrived, despite periodic setbacks due to the vagaries of weather. The system worked so well that Jacky institutionalized with the Royal Edinburgh Botanical Garden, which agreed to select a suitable person for her from among their graduates.
