This year, Tim, Mike Gibbs and I had been working with Jonathan on restoration proposals for some of the natural but degraded habitats of the northern Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia (and the establishment of a plant nursery), where his ideas and experience of the vegetation, propagation techniques and irrigation requirements were invaluable for our draft master plan. We did not know of his illness when we embarked on the work (and seems he was not really aware of anything seriously wrong until late June/July); we consider ourselves so fortunate that he was able to make his contribution when he did – we would have struggled without him. Prior to seeing him for the last time at the hospice, he came with me on 23rd April to a British-Omani Society lecture by Mark Evans, about a “Journey Across Arabia in the Footsteps of Harry St John Philby”; we joined the speaker and some other guests for a meal and interesting discussions afterwards; he gave no inkling of his ill health. Similarly, on 18th June we had a Teams call with colleagues in Oman about a proposed project to restore coastal sand dunes on Masirah Island, to help protect globally important nesting beaches for Loggerhead Turtles. We discussed him making a visit in the autumn to outline a sustainable design that he had conceived, using “barusti” palm fronds and a native plant palette; he was very positive and, with fortitude characteristic of Jonathan, there was no suggestion that anything might be wrong that might prevent this.

Hence it was with great sadness to learn of the surprise diagnosis of his terminal illness and to discover what little time he had left to live. Nevertheless, I so appreciated a concerned and “apologetic” e-mail exchange with him, from his hospice bed, in the week before he passed away, which somehow sums up the considerate character of a very decent and humble man. He said “I’ve got some bad news, related to my health which will preclude my involvement in the turtle project, but it has turned out more serious. The last 3 months I have felt under the weather despite working on OXAGON with you…… [this] means I cannot do turtles in the foreseeable future but nevertheless we must have a get together to re-enjoy all our projects we have done. On a personal level it has been great working with you and Mike (please pass on the same) and look forward to hearing/seeing you when you have a moment. ….. Otherwise bedbound here….. all very frustrating.” Then later “Turtles was always going to be long project from initiation my reckoning but was looking forward to it” – and so were the other participants. We shall all miss his thoughtful approach and contribution, and shall try to follow through on his ideas.

Though Jonathan’s passing is a loss to those privileged enough to work with him (and to future “projects” in the Middle East and U.K.), he does leave a wonderful legacy in the form of his masterpiece “Landscape Plants for the Middle East”, published in 2018. He was kind anough to let me review and comment on an early draft and contribute some photographs. I was amazed at the comprehensive scope of the book and the detail which he provided on so many topics and plant species; I had not fully appreciated until then the depth and breadth of his knowledge, a mark of the humble and likeable man that he was. He said that it was with my encouragement that he included the section on “Landscape Design with Indigenous Plants”, but whether it was or not, that section is there and represents his vision and appreciation of Arabia’s diverse native flora which at last is being recognised more widely in the region. I am grateful to have a signed copy of his book as a treasured memento of having known Jonathan as a friend and having worked with such a delightful and knowledgeable man.