Agastache 'Beelicious Pink'
Gary Stone
Plant Heritage awarded National Plant Collection® status to 5 collection holders in December:
- a horticultural collection of Ilex (holly) in Bodenham Arboretum which was started in the early 1970s by James Binnian’s father;
- a hawthorn collection (Crataegus – ornamental cultivars) shared across three sites which are part of the Plant Heritage North West group. Hawthorn was selected as a plant that should grow well across the various locations;
- a collection of Tall Bearded Irises raised by Bryan Dodsworth - held at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire
- Jim Simmond’s collection of Dionaea muscipula (Venus Flytrap) cultivars featuring a range of unusual names such as B52, Troublemaker and Jim’s personal favourite, Zipp
- and a National Plant Collection of Agastache for HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire.
This is the second National Plant Collection for the women's prison. Gary Stone, the horticultural craftsman at the prison, says they chose Agastache after seeing it as part of the Missing Collections Campaign (where Plant Heritage highlights plant groups that don’t have a National Collection to ensure their future). Their first collection of Tulbaghia was awarded in 2024. Also known as hyssop or Korean mint, Agastache leaves smell of liquorice. It is a great plant for a sunny border with flower spires often in blues, pinks and purples.
Agastache appealed to Gary and the prisoners because, even though the plant is short-lived, it is loved by bees and other pollinators and fits in well with their designs and plans for the garden. They have been working hard to fill the garden with pollinator-friendly plants and to bring biodiversity and sustainability to the heart of the garden, with prisoners spending time researching plants and suggesting ideas for changes within the garden.
All this work has paid off. The garden was one of the 2025 champions of the DEFRA Bees’ Needs award and the overall winner of the sustainable nature and environmental awards in 2025, run by the prison service.
Whilst their hard work is safeguarding the future of garden plants, the garden is also invaluable to the prisoners themselves. Gary says that it gives them a sense of pride, achievement and purpose when nurturing and growing plants. It’s an educational opportunity but it’s also invaluable for their mental health during their time in the prison.
It is not just the horticultural benefits: many prisoners struggle with confidence and social skills. Working together in small teams helps them to form friendships and develop confidence that is hugely valuable to them upon their release. Almost none of the women have any previous horticultural experience and many get the bug, enjoying the benefits and even taking their new-found skills into the outside world upon their release. Gary knows of one former prisoner, who was one of the first to be involved in the Plant Heritage National Collections at the prison, who is now looking to start her own nursery.
Gary Stone, horticultural craftsman at HMP Eastwood Park Women’s Prison, said: “Working in the garden gives the women a sense of pride and achievement from nurturing and growing plants. All rooms in the prison look out over green space, and we find the women who work in the garden benefit hugely, improving their mental health as well as increasing their confidence - particularly when prison staff or visitors complement them on the garden.”
Gwen Hines, CEO of Plant Heritage, added: “We’re thrilled that HMP Eastwood Park Women’s Prison has been awarded a second National Collection, showing the power of plants and plant conservation for everyone. Not only does this work help the women in the prison, but it also protects and safeguards plants for future generations.”
Held either in homes, gardens, greenhouses or on allotments by passionate individuals, or at nurseries, garden centres, arboretums or botanical gardens, the 730+ National Plant Collections contain nearly 100,000 plants. Encouraging people to grow a wide variety of plants is good for biodiversity, and the plants in the National Collections can help us to find varieties that are resilient to the challenges of climate change.
Information about all the current National Collections can be searched on Plant Heritage's website.