Fi And Liz From New Hope Daylilies
Jonathan Buckley
New Collections include those fit for a king, houseplants with bold ambitions and orchards with climate change at their core.
Plant Heritage has had a great first half of the year, with their first ever RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden winning a Silver-Gilt medal, a Great Pavilion filled with National Plant Collection® holders and countless events hosted by National Collection holders across the country. And whilst all this activity has been taking place, the teams have been hard at work awarding National Plant Collection® status to 17 new collections.
Back in March National Plant Collection® status was awarded to six collections including Bistorta amplexicaulis (red bistort) in Berwick on Tweed, which thrive in a walled garden; hardy Strobilanthes which are well suited to the milder, moist conditions of Wales but can also survive dry periods; a range of pelargoniums grown by Steven Monks, who learnt from Pelargonium expert Hazel Key and her National Plant Collection of Pelargonium; and plants grown from seed collected by Wolfgang Bopp and Janet Cubey in Western Australia which was then donated to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, and is on display in their Great Glasshouse.
His Majesty The King, who is the royal patron of Plant Heritage, increased his number of National Plant Collections to four, with the addition of the Norfolk snowdrop collection, at Sandringham. The other three collections are Hosta (large & giant leaved), Fagus (beech) which are both at Highgrove, and Morus (mulberry) which is at Buckingham Palace. The new collection will help conserve a group of snowdrops that are associated with Norfolk, to preserve the places, people and stories that could so easily be lost.
Phillip Corral With The Agastache Collection At Kenilworth Castle
The latest new collections, awarded in June, include English Heritage’s Kenilworth Castle, where Head Gardener Phillip Corrall has developed a collection of Agastache which works really well in the Edwardian garden, he’s keen to show visitors how they could also grow this hardy plant in their own garden. Ben Ellis has been awarded National Plant Collection® status for his collection of Astrophytum species, which can be difficult to grow. Some species have never left Mexico and are critically endangered, so Ben hopes to help with conservation efforts for the species that are available in the UK, working to cultivate and propagate the species responsibly.
Craig Rothwell With His Epipremnum Collection
Craig Rothwell’s passion for Epipremnum began many years ago, and he hopes his National Plant Collection® of this tropical plant will showcase the climbing tendencies of this magnificent plant, that can reach a large size and put on an impressive display. He first came across Plant Heritage after hearing an interview on the ‘On the Ledge’ podcast with houseplant expert Jane Peronne, which inspired him to join Plant Heritage as a member, and apply for National Plant Collection® status.
Other new National Plant Collections® awarded in June include Trevor Cope’s Hardy Fuchsias, he plans to collect as many hardy varieties as possible; Rose and Helen Barbour’s collection of Galanthus cultivars (named by Phil Cornish) which is a tribute to their good friend Phil Cornish who encouraged them to start this collection; the Primula auricula cultivars collection by David and Gail Sheals has grown over the last 20 years, after the collection was gifted from another National Collection which is no longer in existence; New Hope Daylilies are committed to their new National Collection of Hemerocallis hybrids (bred by Duncan Skene), the breeding programme of many of these specific cultivars was focused on producing strong and healthy hybrids, which are suitable for the British climate and the future challenges of climate change; another collection with climate change at its core is Malus (Cider fruit trees) at the Museum of Cider, they currently have 179 varieties, preserving heritage varieties and providing a diverse resource that can help withstand future challenges from climate change.
Dr David Marshall, Chairman Of The Museum Of Cider (Right) In The Orchards With John Teiser, The Museum's Volunteer Conservator Of Fruit
Orchards feature heavily in the latest new Collections, in addition to the Museum of Cider, National Plant Collection® status has been awarded to Home Farm Orchards in Suffolk which includes a large number of varieties of apple, pear, cobnut and plum, and is being expanded to include other fruit and nut species. They are also facing the challenges of climate change and experimenting with species and cultivars from southern regions. Wigmore Valley Park’s Peace Garden Orchard has also been awarded National Plant Collection® status, it was planted in 2012 to commemorate lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic, experts from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project selected varieties for the orchard, which now includes varieties of apple, pear and plum and cherry from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
And finally, Rachel Wilkinson’s collection of Hakonechloa macra is a wonderful example of how collection holders can help ensure the longevity of Collections when a collection holder can no longer maintain their collection. Rachel took on Dianne Nichol-Brown’s National Collection plants, when she had decided not to continue with her collection. Rachel was already a collection holder of Hardy Geranium Species, so this fit in beautifully. The community of National Collection Holders is crucial to the longevity and safeguarding of these vital plant conservation efforts.