A day of plants, people and conversations The Plant Exchange took place very successfully in a rain free Bristol alongside the Plant Heritage Members Day, at the Wills Hall Conference Centre. Being in the same place as the Members Day, meant we could run the Exchange and still listen to the incredibly interesting and varied …
Author: Lucy
Rare plant of the month – May 2020
Rosa ‘Lime Kiln' At the Plant Heritage annual Plant Exchange 2019 in Sussex, I was told the story in conversation about a rose in the Exchange that it was hoped would be returning to the house where it had originally been named. That alone was lovely to hear, but asking further I found a …
Rare plant of the month – February 2019
Ficus pumila 'Minima' Plants often pass through nurseries and gardens, promoted by experienced and respected plantsmen - loved for a while then are left behind. These are the plants both species and cultivars that we seek to find, protect and pass on through the Plant Guardian scheme. One such plant appears to be Ficus pumila …
Rare plant of the month – October 2018
Fragaria vesca var. muricata The story behind this strange fruit comes from Dianne Nichol-Brown, who with husband David, is holder of the National Collection of Fragaria vesca. Also known as the Plymouth strawberry, Fragaria vesca var. muricata, originated in damp woodlands around Plymouth in Devon, and has a long history, encompassing names such as Tradescant, Stearn …
Rare plant of the month – June 2018
Athyrium filix-femina 'Acrocladon' - a fern lost and found The British Pteridological Society (BPS) is an eminent scientific society, involved in the study and research of ferns. Among them, are group of plantsmen also involved in work with fern cultivars. Julian Reed (National collection holder of Polypodium) is one of them and while talking about finding the …
Rare plant of the month – March 2018
Narcissus 'Hades' When we find plants to talk about, more and more frequently they fit beautifully into the mantra – 'to conserve a plant, give it away’. It is always remarkable to see how often one rare cultivar can create a web stretching from collectors to gardens. While at the same time, giving us a …
Rare plant of the month – February 2018
Galanthus 'Aunt Agnes' February is the month of the snowdrop and with huge numbers of beautiful rare species and varieties it would be impossible to choose just two to write about. I was really pleased therefore to be told about Olive Mason and her introduction to snowdrops. It doesn’t matter where our interests and passions …
Rare plant of the month – October
If you want to save a plant, share a plant. We know many great plants are out there somewhere and once found, sharing and recording them is so important in conserving them. Talking to National Collection Holder, Judy Barker, about the plants for this blog, she described what we do as plant hunting in reverse ‘difficult …
Rare plant of the month – August
Dahlia 'Little Beeswing' The plants featured on this blog so far have been truly fascinating, however Dahlia ‘Little Beeswing’ has taken us on a quite a journey and has demonstrated the value of the conservation work that Plant Heritage volunteers are quietly working on through the Plant Exchange and Plant Guardians schemes. Dahlia ‘Little Beeswing’, …
Rare plant of the month: June 2017
Lathyrus belinensis In this instalment of our series, which looks at reasons why we need to be aware of the importance of conserving the rare plants that grow in our gardens in the UK and Ireland, we explore Lathyrus belinensis, a plant with a significant history of discovery, loss and an important place in plant breeding. …
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