A MAN who lives and breathes exotic plants has been nominated for a Pride in Worcestershire certificate for nurturing splashes of South African colour in his greenhouse.

Martin Smith is such a successful grower of proteas (also spelled protias), a plant native to southern Africa, that he is the keeper of Britain's national collection - which can be visited by appointment in his Astwood Road back garden in Brickfields, Worcester.

There are 115 species growing wild, and Mr Smith's greenhouse contains 37 of them - the most comprehensive collection in the country.

Mr Smith, aged 41, returns to his colourful hobby after his day job as the glasshouse manager at Pershore Agricultural College.

He is a perfect example of the Worcester News Pride in Worcestershire campaign, which seeks to highlight all that is good about the county andf its people.

"It is the challenge of growing them that I love. I started off growing them for birds so they could feed on what they'd eat in the wild, but the proteas took over," he said.

"They are very difficult - they

need an acid soil and will die if

there are phosphates in it. They also need the air to be constantly moving."

Earlier this month, a TV crew from Channel 4's the Great Garden Challenge came to film his collection and record his advice about growing the tricky shrubs.

For more information about visiting the collection, ring 01483 211465.

Do you know someone who makes you proud to live in Worcestershire? If so, nominate them for our Pride in Worcestershire Campaign, by calling 01905 742244, e-mailing wenedit@

thisisworcester.co.uk, or writing to Newsdesk, Worcester News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX.