New Zealand from China in the early 20th century. He was also involved in setting up a research station at Levin, New Zealand. In 1948 the Hudsons returned to England, where he became a lecturer in horticulture at Sutton Bonington, by then a faculty of the new University of Nottingham. After obtaining a PhD degree in 1954, he became the first occupant of the university's chair of horticulture in 1958 and then dean of the faculty of agriculture and horticulture in 1965. His research was in the field of plant propagation, notably environmental factors in plant growth. He showed almost military precision in his research and administrative work, which he shared in 1961–1963 with the department of horticulture at the University of Khartoum, where he was seconded for six months each year as a visiting professor. Hudson left Nottingham in 1967 to direct the Long Ashton Research Station, the job being coupled with a chair of horticultural science at the University of Bristol. There his administrative abilities were stretched further by government spending cuts and the need for full reorganisation. He was already editor (1965–1982) of the journal Experimental Agriculture and serving on other editorial boards. He was noted also for the precision and clarity of his teaching. Peter Waister, a former graduate student of Hudson's, stated at his funeral, "I was impressed by his ability to balance the three areas [of research, teaching and advisory work] and to be inspirational in them all, a rare achievement." Hudson's honours included an associateship of honour of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture in 1948, the presidency of the former Horticultural Educational Association, founder membership and an honorary fellowship of the UK Institute of Horticulture, appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to horticulture in 1975, and in 1976 the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society. Retirement John and Gretta Hudson retired to Wrington, Somerset, where they developed a large garden, which Hudson tended almost unaided into his nineties. Other interests included the local choral society, gliding, volunteering for the Weston-super-Mare Samaritans, and fell-walking. He acted as carer for his wife after she suffered a stroke in 1986. His son Colin, a tropical agronomist in Barbados, predeceased him in 2004. He was survived by his son Richard, a professor of linguistics at University College, London. He died on 6 December 2007 of