Jubilation on the Trailfinder’s garden on their award of ‘Best in Show’

…and then into the marquee to meet some Collection Holders before they got busy with customers.  It is always a delight to talk to such knowledgeable people and useful to put faces to names.  17 nurseries exhibiting at the show are Collection Holders and two more educational establishments are in the RHS environment area, so it took quite a while to get around them all.  I wasn’t able to get pictures of everyone, but here, in no particular order, are the ones I took.

Mary and Terry Baker from The Botanic Nursery in Wiltshire, showing off their new guide to producing garden plants from seed.  Their display also shows a time line of the history of Digitalis. (Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’). 

Paul Johnson from Dibleys displaying their Streptocarpus. S. ‘Katie’ is one of my favourites.

Propagator Robbie Blackhall-Miles from Crûg Farm Plants who are using some Polygonatum vietnamicum B&SWJ 8366 in their display.

First time Chelsea exhibitors Chris and Lorraine Birchall from Tale Valley Nursery, with their gold medal.

Simon and Dawn Charlesworth of Downderry Nursery with their fragrant display of lavender (and coordinating clothes).

Lorraine from Winchester Growers who are exhibiting as the National Dahlia Collection.  I loved the delicacy of this Dahlia ‘Etheral’

We used an image of one of Sarah Conibears’s lupins taken at Chelsea 2012 for the cover of our new membership leaflet.

Nigel Hewitt-Cooper’s Sarracenia look like organ pipes against the black background of his display; the delicate Drosera binata var.multifida at the front had been misted with water to show off the structure.

Steve and Elaine Hickman from Hoyland Plants with one of their introductions – Agapanthus ‘Hoyland Blue’.

By the time I got around to Jane Lindsay and Toni O’Connor of Tynings, with their huge selection of different types of climbers, they were busy with visitors.  Their display marks the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show with an edible arrangement of Passiflora slices.

I am back at Chelsea on Friday so I will try to get some more faces to put names to.

“I like the colour of the carpet” said Joanna as we arrived to set up the Chelsea cloakroom.

Taking the shelves out of the stack to make up the Danish trolleys, Joanna checks with Helen that she is holding on tightly.  Note the  Showa gardening gloves in use.

Off to pick up something from the organiser’s office, I see Tom Hart Dyke addressing a lavender plant on Downderry’s display,

“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him”

and see Collection Holders putting final touches to their displays.

Side by Side – W&S Lockyer and Hoyland Plants

But everywhere, there is purple, always a popular colour at Chelsea, but this year taken to everyone’s heart.

After the odd hitch, one completed cloakroom, ready to take all the visitors can throw at it.

We promise to take care of your coats and hats when the sun comes out, not to nibble at your picnics when we get peckish and to save you the trouble of lugging your suitcase around the show.  Ease your day by leaving your stuff with us in the cloakroom, just by the Chelsea Hospital entrance and support Plant Heritage by giving us a donation in return.

Joanna looks at the team, Helen and Sally, in admiration for what they have achieved

The talk was part of a monthly event called Wakehurst Social, which also involved a tour of the garden with a very knowledgeable guide. Despite the poor weather of this spring, it was still a good time to discover their two of their long-standing National Collections (awarded in 1989) : Skimmia and Betula.

Spot the logo…

Skimmia is a small genus of evergreen shrubs coming from Asia, with tiny but very fragrant flowers, and distinctive berries. Despite it being a popular genus in gardens, 39 cultivars are not widely available in the trade and considered as threatened. 2 of these are only growing at Wakehurst, although I couldn’t spot them in the Collection.
A striking cultivar, ‘Wakehurst White’, was discovered as a seedling at Wakehurst Place, and is now commercially available. But beware : this is a female cultivar, it will need a male plant nearby to produce its white berries!

Wakehurst Place is also home to one of the most comprehensive collection of Betula, with 103 taxa. Birches are known for their diversity of shapes, from the drooping branches of B. pendula to the upright, multi-stemmed habit of B. utilis var. jacquemontii ; but at this time of the year, it’s the trunk that sparks attention.
Bark lovers, this is for you :

There is a lot of natural variation in birches, which has given rise to hundreds of varieties. But many of these are not widely grown, partly because their propagation can be difficult. More than 60 cultivars have been flagged as threatened by the project, 6 of which are growing at Wakehurst, such as the rare Betula pendula ‘Birkalensis’.

If you’re interested in birches, the first and long-awaited monograph on the genus will be released this month by Kew Publishing. Written by Kenneth Asburner from Stone Lane Gardens in Devon, one of the National Collection holders who sadly died in 2010, and Hugh A. McAllister, birch expert, the book gives a detailed account of birch taxonomy, identification and horticultural uses. And profit from the sales will go towards the preservation of Stone Lane Gardens and its collections.

Wakehurst Place is also famous for its collections of rhododendrons and camellias, which were just starting to come into flower.

Putting up the canopy to ensure the sun keeps shining.

Getting the plants ready.

The system.

The morning shift.

John, Liz, Sandra, Anne, David, Gill, Wendy, Anne, Clare

Helping the customers.

Thank you to all those who donated plants and helped on the day.  See you at Ripley Village Hall in three weeks time.

Kris Harper (with Sophie Leguil from National Office) and Amanda Whittaker (owner of the above boots), both new Collection Holders since the last AGM (Fuchsia and Crassula).

Joan Taylor, NCH of Geranium nodosum and responsible for introducing G. ‘Silverwood‘. I arranged to go and see her collection at beginning of June.

Lovely to see Judith Wiles, Hampshire member and former National Office book keeper.

Gill and Judith

Helen Moorcraft, chair of the BBO group, admiring the fruit tree tunnel at Longstock.

Gill striding out.

“I claim this island for Plant Heritage”

Jude Lawton, chair of the Kent Group, taking the low view of Fritillaria meleagris across the water.

The Surrey group arrive with their contributions to the Plant Exchange.

Anne Folkes, Gill Ringrose, Clare Hogan, Anne Hare, Sandra Tognarelli

Theodora and Julian Stanning from Dumfries and Galloway.

A working lunch for some of the Group Newsletter editors.

Gillian with Doug Smith, chair of the Hampshire group and mastermind of the AGM weekend.

Maddy Ward and Jonathon Berry from the Sussex group.

Genevieve, Mercy and Sophie.

Lindsay Pink, Hampshire Plant Exchange coordinator.

Catherine Penny, John Wilkinson and Peter Foley from the North West group competing in the Friday evening quiz.

Linda Eggins (NCH Aucuba) from the Worcestershire group with Genevieve

Gary and Maria Firth (NCH Myrtaceae and Gongora) with their Longstock purchases

Gill with Roger Evans of the Shropshire group

David Jewell and Wolfgang Bopp of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens.

Peter Allatt from the North East group.

John Hillier, President of the Hampshire group.

Patrick Govier and Susan Barley from one of our sponsors, NFU Mutual.

Joan and Jack Lamb (NCH Fuchsia) from the Yorkshire group with Paula Brewster (centre), East Midlands

Joanna going incognito in her wooly hat

Fashion show from Sophie and Lamorna Thomas from the Cambridgeshire group

Doug sent us some photos of the trip to Exbury on Sunday morning, including the group photo in the banner of this post.

Lionel de Rothschild with Sally Kenyon

It was a great weekend and as you see there was even some sunshine.  If you have any photos of people you would like to add to this post, send them through to info@plantheritage.org.uk and I will add them in when I am back in the office on Tuesday.  See you next May in Norfolk.

The rules haven’t changed though : plants tagged as “Endangered in Cultivation” are rare commercially but found in at least one National Collection or notable garden, those tagged as “Vulnerable in cultivation” have been found in more than 3 collections, while those tagged as “Critical in Cultivation” are the only examples existing in the UK…to our knowledge of course.

Red labels

Although some of the plants had not managed the journey to Winchester, there were plenty of rarities to be discovered in the room, from large, variegated Begonia to colourful alpine Primula. But first, the little red labels have to be pinned to the right pots, a painstaking task with so many plants on offer.

Red boots for red labels

Here are a few mouthwatering examples of the plants being exchanged – a perk for members only!

Bergenia ‘Traum’ (meaning ‘Dream’ in german – how poetic), bred in the 1980s, and endangered in cultivation.

Bergenia ‘Traum’, now on its way to Sussex

Pulmonaria ‘Abbey Dore Pink’, a lovely lungwort cultivar originating from Abbey Dore Court Garden in Hereforshire, and critically endangered in cultivation.

Pulmonaria ‘Abbey Dore Pink’, from North West to Worcestershire

And finally, Erysimum ‘Joseph’s Coat’, an interesting wallflower, endangered in cultivation. It was featured in Kalani’s article on last year Plant Exchange, as being passed on to the Surrey and North West Group. This one is now on its way to Suffolk…

Erysimum ‘Joseph’s Coat’, off to Suffolk this time

On Saturday, members from the local groups happily collected their respective boxes.

Peter Foley from the North West Group handing over plants to Lloyd Kenyon, National Plant Exchange Coordinator.

Passing the torch of conservation…

Margaret was delivering the Norfolk group plants for the exchange to Lyndsey Pink, Plant Exchange Coordinator from Hampshire when Lyndsey realised that the Galanthus ‘Zwanenburg’ – a rare snowdrop, identified as vulnerable in cultivation – would be delivered to her, hence the happy smile!

Lyndsey collecting her prize

On to the difficult part : fitting all the plants safely in the cars!

Just one more…for the Kent Group

Now, it’s up to local groups to propagate these threatened plants (and those which are less threatened), share them between members, sell them in plant fairs, and of course, put them back into the Plant Exchange for next year.

Thanks to all those involved, your efforts do make a difference and help us conserve these fragile beauties!

Barry Clarke was allocated group three and I decided that walking backwards must be a ‘desirable skill’ for a guide: he seemed to spend most of his time not looking where he was going, addressing his audience and never once stumbling.

He’s not talking to himself but to the group who are following him

The magnolias were breath-taking and against the blue sky the blooms were perfect.

Magnolia ‘Purple Sensation’

This genus is one of the more primitive flowering plants and the sexual parts developed as sturdy components to cope with being pollinated by beetles.

The Centenary border holds the promise of 8000 Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.

One of the newest areas to be redeveloped is a Himalayan area with a stream, pools of water and a manmade hillside planted with trees.  The understory will be planted by spraying seeds onto it and the Primula denticulata are already edging the bottom of the slopes.

Rhododendron, another member of the Ericaceae family, were flowering in the Arboretum.  Like Heathers, Rhododendrons have been tarnished with a touch of the 70s, but here were some very tasteful blossoms which would grace any colour scheme.

After lunch Doug had told us that no rain was forecast for the afternoon, but he didn’t mention hail.

Hardy gardeners pulled up their hoods or put up their brollies and 10 minutes later the sky was clear again.

And the Baker’s Dozen?  Barry showed us some of the Cercidiphyllum which he hopes will be part of Hillier’s thirteenth National Collection.

A young Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Rotfuchs’ and a magnificent Cercidiphyllum japonicum

We could have spent all day in the gardens and arboretum;

I’ll just have to go again to see those Alliums when they are in flower.

Although the season wasn’t right to see the Collections at their best, there was plenty to keep a bunch of Plant Heritage members happy.

We were told “There’s plenty of room in the luggage hold of the coach” and that was put to the test.  Cherry and Michael Dodson from Staffordshire bought a Davidia involucrata as well as a couple of unusual Buddleia from the Collection.

Cherry trying to make her purchase look smaller

Gillian wishes she’d got there first as Judith claims the prime specimen

The queue to pay

The luggage hold of the coach fills up

By now tummies were rumbling and we were taken to Longstock Village Hall for lunch.  Masterminded by the local WI, we were served soup, sandwiches and of course tea and cakes.  They were canny enough to realise that if they put out their fundraising plant stall, they might make some money; they are raising funds for postage to send jumpers, knitted by ladies in the village, to Africa.  And of course we couldn’t resist.

finely dissected leaves of Astilbe were glowing along the water’s edge;

 Epimedium and Mertensia virginica (not Pulmonaria - thank you David) were flowering;

Gunnera leaves were unfolding

and pale pink lollipops of Darmera peltata were emerging naked from the pond edges.

This was enough for Roy Lancaster who had joined us for the tour to tell us all about Benedict Roezl (1824-1885), a plant collector who introduced Darmera to this country.    Benedict was a ‘character’, a bearded one armed Czech who specialised in collecting orchids in South America and survived more than one near death experience. On one occasion he was set upon by a group of bandits, who thought he was slightly mad and must be protected by God, so they let him go.  Sound familiar to anyone?

Gill with Roy Lancaster

Roy is of course a plant hunter in his own right and told us how seeing a plant in its natural environment is such a memorable experience that whenever he sees such plants in cultivation, the whole encounter in the wild is brought back to him – even what he had for breakfast that day.  I am sure that the members who heard him speak on Saturday evening were well entertained.

PS.  Since drafting this piece yesterday, I have come into the  library at Wisley where I work as a volunteer, meaning to look up more about Roezl (mostly how to spell his name) and I bumped into Roy going into the Lab.  He recommended I look in Alice Coat’s book ‘The Quest for Plants’ to find out more about Benedict.  It’s a fascinating book and is available at all the RHS garden libraries.  I’m going to borrow a copy and read more about these amazing people to whom we owe so much.  So although I missed Roy’s talk on Saturday evening, I had my own special research interview with him today.

Reserve officer Jayne Chapman and volunteers Juliet Bloss and Jenny Mallett led us on a walk through part of the 114 acre site, jointly owned by the Trust, the local authority and the Winchester diocese, but managed by the Trust.

Juliet, Jenny and Jayne with Doug Smith, Hampshire Chairman

Chalk downland is a unique manmade ecosystem and after periods of neglect or use as arable farmland, this site is being restored by the use of grazing cattle and sheep during the winter.  Selective hay cropping reduces the height of the sward in some areas, thereby increasing the potential habitats for butterflies and moths.

We arrived to see the first flush of wild flowers, cowslips as far as the eye can see.

Jayne explained about the careful planting that has taken place over the last couple of decades to provide food for the caterpillars and their associated life forms.

Chalk scrapes are made to create microclimates.

Ant hills break through the hillside and I was fascinated to hear about the relationship between the Brown Argus butterfly (Aricia agestis) and the ant.   The Brown Argus caterpillar eats the Common Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium) which grows on the anthills.  Once the caterpillar has reached a certain size, the ants move it into their hill, where they ‘milk’ it for a sugary secretion and it continues to feed on ant grubs.  After metamorphosis the butterfly crawls out of the hill and the cycle starts again.

Look carefully and there are ants in this picture

Although the sun was shining, only one butterfly was sighted, and not by me, but it is somewhere that I will revisit in a month or so’s time to see the wildflowers and hopefully some butterflies.  Have a look on their website, there’s bound to be a reserve not too far from you.