Jim Stagg was gardener at Hestercombe House, Somerset fron 1973 to 1983, and head gardener from 1983 to 1986. Working with landscape architects from Somerset County Council and head gardener Wilf Perry, he replanted the borders of the Formal Garden, according to the original plans by Gertrude Jekyll, from 1973 to 1978.
Prior to working at Hestercombe, Mr Stagg worked in private gardens and then as a groundsman for Somerset County Council.