Every year this prestigious award is made to a National Collection holder who has demonstrated excellence in cultivated plant conservation and is presented at a ceremony held at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival.
2024 Winners - The Mathers Foundation
In 2024 The Mathers Foundation was awarded the prestigious Brickell Award.
The Mathers Foundation in West Sussex is home to three National Plant Collections of orchids (Oncidium; Pleione; Stanhopea & Acineta spp. & hybrids), including two that were rescued when their original Collection Holder was no longer able to maintain them. Chair Gill Mathers, Founder David Mathers, and Nursery Manager Jim Durrant (recognised as an Associate of Honour by the RHS last year) have been awarded for using sustainable growing techniques, minimal chemical use and for their active laboratory propagation programme of existing and new cultivar seedlings. The judges also commended the Foundation for using the 17,000 plants within their care to support research, including tracking, identification and photographic logging of all of their plants and studying improved methods of growing and propagation.
Since the foundation was established in 2019, Gill, David and Jim have worked tirelessly to conserve a variety of orchid species and hybrids that otherwise might be lost. Preserving unique collections of plants outside their natural habitats is becoming ever more important given the pressures on wild plant populations. They conserve three outstanding collections, with a further two planned. The Foundation has also received numerous awards from the RHS Orchid Committee in recent years and works closely with the Plant Heritage Sussex Group by hosting training courses, visits and events for members.
L to R: David and Gill Mathers, Jim Durrant, Advolly Richmond who presented the award, Gwen Hines Chief Executive of Plant Heritage
© Plant Heritage
2023 - Adrian Young was recognised for this work with Saxifraga Ligulatae and Saxifraga Porphyrum
2022 - Margaret and David MacLennan were recognised for their work on Galanthus
2021 - Roger Hammond for his work on Epimedium
2020 - Malcolm Pharoah for his work on Astilbe
2019 - Roger Parsons for his work on Lathyrus
2018 - Sarah Cook for her work on Benton Irises (Cedric Morris Introductions)
2017 - Dr Michael McIllmurray for his work on Maxillaria species
2016 - Margaret McKendrick for her work on Japanese Anemone and Judy Barker for her work on hardy chrysanthemums
2014 - Chris Lane for his work on Hamamelis
2012 - Dr Simon Charlesworth for his work on Lavandula
2011 - Margaret Easter for her work on Thymus
2010 - Brian Fearn for his work on Lithops
2008 - Dr Evelyn Stevens for her work on Meconopsis
2007 - Ray Stephenson for his work on Sedum
2006 - Beryl Bland for her work with the Ligulatae Group of Saxifraga
2005 - Sylvia Norton for her work on Lathyrus
2004 - Dr John Vanderplank for his work on Passiflora
2003 - Henry Noblett for his work on Astilbe and Dr Henry Oakeley for his work on the orchids Lycaste, Ida and Anguloa
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2023 Winner - Adrian Young
In 2023 Adrian Young was recognised for his work on Saxifraga.
The judges applauded Adrian’s ongoing research and work with both of his reference collections* of Saxifraga sect. Ligulatae and Saxifraga sect. Porphyrion subsect. Porophyllum. They also recognised Adrian’s wider contribution to horticulture, as both a National Plant Collection Holder since 2012 and the International Cultivar Registration Authorities’ Registrar for Saxifraga since 2010. His published works were also celebrated, including his book ‘The Complete Checklist for Porophyllum Cultivars’ which is considered the definitive work on Porophyllum Saxifraga and is now in its third edition.
Adrian’s two collections, which combined total over 900 different types of the alpine Saxifraga, are kept, maintained, and displayed at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire.
Adrian Young, winner of the Brickell Award 2023 says: “Winning the Brickell Award means a lot to me. I have known Chris Brickell for over 30 years and he has been instrumental in helping me with plant nomenclature, so receiving ‘his’ award is very special. Growing and studying Saxifraga for the last 45 years has been a real pleasure. In 1972 Valerie Finnis told me to go into the high mountains and see how the Saxifraga live. Wise words which I still remember today.”
The Brickell Award was established to celebrate our 25th jubilee year in 2003, in recognition of ‘excellence in cultivated plant conservation’ undertaken by Collection Holders.
It is named after renowned plantsman, Chris Brickell, a founding member of Plant Heritage and currently a Vice President of the organisation.
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