A daughter has paid tribute to her mother who also penned gardening columns for the Watford Observer.

Ann Janes, who grew up in Watford, died at the age of 88 at Watford General Hospital on July 27, after a sudden and short illness.

Her only child, Nicola Le Prevost, 69, said Ann was a woman who “valued her friendships”.

Watford Observer: Ann moved from Watford to Kings Langley 14 years ago and continued to garden.Ann moved from Watford to Kings Langley 14 years ago and continued to garden. (Image: Nicola Le Prevost)

She added: “She had a mischievous sense of humour. She was very bright and alert up to the last month.

“She always saw the bright and funny side of things.”

Nicola recalled when she was a child, her mother would take her to the Watford Palace Theatre and they would often go to galleries.

She said: “There is not a big age gap between us, only 20 years, so we did lots of things together.

“Every Saturday we would go to the library and take a pile of books home, we would always read.

“My mother also had a passion for the arts and did a course in history of art when she was older.”

Ann worked as a secretary and personal assistant for various business in Watford, but it wasn’t until later in life she became a “born again gardener,” said Nicola.

As far back as 1998, Ann started writing columns for the Observer when she set up a gardening club with “like-minded people”.

Nicola said: “When she wrote for the paper, we got to go to the Chelsea Flower show a few times and that was a bonus.

“Gardening became so important to her, which is strange because she hated it for years.

Watford Observer: Ann had a gardening column in the Watford Observer. Ann had a gardening column in the Watford Observer. (Image: Watford Observer)

“But she totally transformed the garden of her home into something very creative and then carried that love with her when she moved to Kings Langley 14 years ago.

“She loved learning about plants, but she couldn’t abide yellow flowers on her patch. No bright colours, just pastels. She was a great admirer of having colour coordinated flowering.”

Her funeral will take place at the West Herts Crematorium on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 12.40pm.

Ann’s partner, Douglas, and her family have asked that flowers are not given, but donations can be made to the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice where she volunteered.