NCH news Spring 2012

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NCH News
Spring 2012
New Collections
Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales
Collections granted
National Plant
Collection status at
the most recent Plant
Conservation
Committee meeting
Page 11
The National
Plant Collections
®
Bromeliad Garden,
Gardening on the
edge with Collection
Holder Bob Parker
Page 2
Review of the RHS
Award of Garden
Merit
Dr John Grimshaw
Pages 4-8 and back
page
Bursaries 2012
From 27 applications the following were awarded:
Bursaries
Chester Zoo (Copiapoa, Matucana, &
Turbinicarpus) - Brother labels for the
Collections, Brother P-Touch labeller.
Marwood Hill Gardens (Astilbe, Iris ensata,
Tulbaghia) - Funding for interpretation
displays & labelling.
DIRECTORY
2012
Sponsored by
Over 650 specialist collections
and where to visit them
Best of the Blog
Gillian Spencer
News & publications
Page 9
Page 10
Threatened Plants
Project update
Kalani Seymour
Page 11
Plant
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Conservation Committee
Working Group
It is some time since the Requirements and aims of the National Collection Scheme have been assessed. Since the
Threatened Plants Project has enabled a greater level of certainty on assessing rarity and value of cultivars, it is
now time to consider how to integrate this into our everyday conservation work in the Collections. It is also a good
chance to reassess our criteria for new collections and make sure that they are really attracting the right sort of
collections; i.e. those that will conserve plants most effectively for the future.
The Plant Conservation Committee have tasked a working group to look at the following areas:
- The current requirements for National Plant Collections
- The barriers to entry to the scheme
Greencombe Garden Trust (Erythronium,
Gaultheria, Polystichum, & Vaccinium) Funding for interpretation material
- The strengths & weaknesses of the scheme
David & Penny Ross (Hesperantha coccinea
cvs.) - Funding for virus testing
- Explore alternative frameworks of defining scope and requirements for applications
Gifts in kind
Howard Wills (Jovibarba, Rosularia,
Semperivum) - Brother labelling machine
Tim Fuller (Molinia) - Brother labelling
machine
Don Witton (Euphorbia (hardy)) - Brother
labelling machine
Una Dunnett (Hosta) - Brother scanner
NCH News Spring 2012
- Explore integration of the TPP into future application assessment and recruitment
- Address the issue of using taxonomical completeness as a definitive criterion when it has no bearing on
conservation.
An internet based survey will be conducted shortly, if you have no access to the internet, please
forward your views in writing on the above to Plant Heritage before the 10th April and they will be
included in the discussion. The working group cannot answer individual queries and will only be
looking at the matters detailed above. A report will be published after the Board of Trustees meet to
discuss the conclusions on the 6 December 2012.
Address for written correspondence :
Plant Heritage, 12 Home Farm, Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1HS,
mercym@plantheritage.org.uk
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Bromeliad Garden
Gardening on the edge with Collection Holder
Bob Parker
Ochagavia elegans Ⓒ Bob Parker
Gardening on the edge is always a
challenge. I hold the National Collection
of hardy Bromeliaceae. The collection is
based in Bishop’s Hull on the western
rim of Taunton, Somerset. The garden is
on a ridge about 350 ft above sea level, it
is sheltered by tall hedges and a row of
Monterey cypress which provides a
canopy of protection. It is not a warm
garden nor is it a frost pocket.
collection by Plant Heritage and
available in RHS Plant Finder. Others
I have collected by chance or grown
from seed.
BillBillbergiabergia nutans Ⓒ Bob
Parker
Puya mirabilis Ⓒ Bob Parker
The Collection includes specimens of
all those suggested for a plant
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The basic groupings are Fascicularia ,
Dyckia , Billbergia, Ochagavia and
Puya. The mortal enemy is a
combination of wet and prolonged
cold, a sustained temperature of -7ºc
will damage in some way all plants
within the bromeliad family. Low
temperatures during the day present
abnormal conditions for plants that
originate in South America and the
Andes. The Andes experience cold at
night but warmer conditions during
the day. A decade of mild winters
bred complacency in the south west.
2010 with its freezing start and
equally cold end to the year even
wiped many plants that do not
usually succumb to low
temperatures. Notes provided by
stockist on hardiness can be wildly
over optimistic, so it’s always best to
err on the side of caution and retain
spares. The collection began with
Fascicularia bicolor and F.b. subsp.
canaliculata believed to be the
hardiest of all bromeliad groupings. I
gathered more than forty specimens;
clump forming, the rosettes green
spiky leaves turn scarlet as turquoise
flowers appear at the heart of the
rosette making them amongst the
most exotic looking of all garden
plants. F. bicolor flowers when the
rosettes are mature, the more
spectacular F.b.canaliculata flower
when and if they feel like it.
Expanding the collection requires
vigilance. I discovered a deep bronze
purple Dyckia in the south of France,
unnamed alas I have yet to track
down its identification. Nor am I
beyond scrounging cuttings or
growing plants from seed. Puya are
the most difficult in the group they
have vicious barbs which can
ensnare alpacas and small birds
attracted by the sweet smelling
inflorescence. Often 15 ft in height
the most spectacular is P. alpestris turquoise flowers with orange
stamens, they are best seen growing
in the open in Tresco Abbey Gardens.
Frosted Fascicularia bicolor Ⓒ Bob
Parker
Otherwise they present a problem,
usually tender, if they grow to
flowering size they become too big to
NCH News Spring 2012
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protect. After scraping through the fierce
beginning of 2010 several of the plants in the
Somerset area flowered for the first time, most
plants that had survived succumbed in the
even harsher conditions of the same year.
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replenish my stock. The large specimen I had
overwintered duly flowered for the first time
in the summer of 2011. I am convinced that
there is no bromeliad hardy enough not to be
damaged if a temperature of - 7ºc is
maintained over five days . Plants in pots are
particularly vulnerable, a large specimen of P.
chilensis was destroyed. Another
disappointment was a Fascicularia bicolor I had
grown as an epiphyte in the trunk of a
Trachycarpus fortunei it also died. Growing
hardy bromeliads is a challenge, they are both
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cultivation by producing spikes of intense
scarlet. Collecting and maintaining
bromeliads is no easy task, they need the
right spot not necessarily in bright sunlight ,
dry soil and some canopy protection. I
managed to survive 2010 better than I had
dared hope, the sad looking clumps of scarred
Fascicularia soon sprouted away vigorously
and the Billbergia and Fascicularia pitcairnifolia
were magnificent, the Puya mirabilis produce a
particularly large inflorescence. The collection
had survived, this winter I have taken no
chances as 2010 was a close run thing. I don’t
Fascicularia Ⓒ Bob Parker
Even grown in the most ideal conditions
nothing could have anticipated or prepared
for the cold that climaxed on the night of the
23rd December when -19ºc was recorded. It
remained during a period of ten day -7ºc
during the day. Other than taking plants
indoors which defeats the point, I spread
army camouflage over the most tender
specimens. It did the trick acting like a forest
canopy though they suffered some damage,
Puya alpestris and P. chilensis and an Ochagavia
survived. Billbergia nutans often sold as a
house plant survived well too.
Where I was unable to provide protection the
hard as nails Fascicularia bicolor was badly
scarred and F. b. canaliculata suffered a wipe
out.
Frosted Fascicularia bicolor subsp. canaliculata
Ⓒ Bob Parker
Sensibly I operate a Noah’s ark policy keeping
specimens in a cold green house. In the
instance of F. b. canaliculata I relied on them
being hardy, they weren’t, I was down to one
large specimen and had given another to a
friend in the south of France who helped
NCH News Spring 2012
Puya alpestris Ⓒ Bob Parker
vicious and tender but they are also
unbeatably spectacular.If anyone is thinking
of starting out Fascicularia bicolor is the easiest.
Billbergia in all its varieties is fairly tough
and flowers persistently. Amongst the Puya, P.
mirabilis will produce yellow/green flowers
once a year. Another must have is the
Fascicularia pitcairnifolia that rewards
want to go that close to a total wipe out again.
Cultivation of any subtropical genus takes
courage, it is also a learning process as each
plant type needs its own conditions to achieve
its best and to flower. The collection this year
has prospered in a mild winter, survived a
cold snap - I’m beginning to believe a cold
snap stimulates flowering. What I discover,
and what this year brings, will be added to
my note book which I hope will make the life
of anyone deciding to grow any of these
marvellous plants a little easier.
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Dr. John M. Grimshaw
Sycamore Cottage
Colesbourne
Nr. Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL53 9NP
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Tel: 01242 870567
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E-mail:
j.grimshaw@virgin.net
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RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT REVIEW
Dear National Plant Collection Holder,
During 2011-12 the Royal Horticultural Society is conducting a review of the plants to which an Award of
Garden Merit has been given in the past, for either confirmation or rescindment, and considering which other,
perhaps newer, plants should be recommended for the Award. The revised list is due to be released in February
2013.
The review is being carried out by members of the appropriate RHS Plant Committee, usually formed into
working parties, and any recommendations they make must be confirmed by the committee responsible. I am
leading the review on behalf of the RHS and my function is particularly to ensure that appropriate plants do not,
for whatever reason, slip the net.
I’m therefore writing to enlist your help by asking for your recommendations for the AGM from amongst
the plants in your collection. The criteria for the AGM review are attached, but the main points are that the plant
must be healthy, outstanding in the garden and reasonably freely available (though the definition of ‘reasonably’
depends on the sort of plant it is.) I have found that an excellent rule of thumb is ‘would you recommend as the
best of its kind to a friend?’ (who is perhaps a novice, or non-expert gardener).
Any recommendations made by collection holders will be fed to the RHS committee responsible for that
type of plant, as awards must be ratified by a strong majority vote by the committee. To enable this to happen in
good time before the lists need to be finalised, I’m asking you to look at your collection lists and decide which
plants you consider worthy of an AGM – or which are no longer so. If I could receive your views by 30 April or
preferably before then – I’d be very grateful.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this. Please contact me directly if you have any further
queries, and send your replies to me.
Yours sincerely,
RHS AGM Review Leader
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RHS AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT REVIEW
BACKGROUND AND CRITERIA
The Royal Horticultural Society is undertaking a major review of the Award of Garden Merit, its premier commendation for
plants of proven high performance and quality in appropriate garden conditions, summed up by the slogan: Plants that
Perform.
This review was stimulated by the need to perform a Sunset Review in 2012 of plants given an AGM in 2002, especially to
delete those that are no longer deemed worthy of the AGM. This is an important process, but at the same time the opportunity
is being taken to review the whole range of garden plants to ensure that coverage is as complete as possible. It is intended that
in future the AGM should be reviewed as a rolling procedure, with additions or deletions being made as judged necessary by
committee working parties.
The criteria for the AGM have also been reviewed by a working party, and have been agreed by RHS Council. These criteria
and accompanying guidelines are given below. It is important that the award is given with consistency and rigour across each
Plant Committee which ratifies the recommendations from trials panels and working groups.
By endorsing the qualities of good plants, the RHS Award of Garden Merit is an important way by which the RHS can fulfil its
charitable aim of promoting best practice in the science and art of horticulture.
AGM CRITERIA
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Excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions
- cultivar or variety out-performs others, eg. More flowers, length of flowering, scent, colour, form…etc
Available in the trade at some level
- gardeners can obtain material without significant effort, at a reasonable price in reasonable quantity
Of good constitution
- the material is known to be generally healthy
Essentially stable in form and colour
- performs according to its description
Reasonably resistant to pests and diseases
- no significant pest and disease issues which would affect growth and
performance
GENERAL ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES
Excellence for ordinary use in appropriate conditions.
• We make the assumption that the material is sold with information to make the buyer aware of the appropriate growing
conditions (e.g. A Rhododendron may be AGM-worthy on acidic ground, but not on alkaline soil).
• Committees and working parties are expected to set a particular standard against which each plant is to be judged: if a
plant equals or exceeds the standard, it may be recommended for the award. No limit has been placed on the number of
plants that may hold the award at any one time, but in groups that include many cultivars, standards have to be set
especially high if the AGM is to offer helpful guidance to the gardener.
• This standard should be regularly reviewed; the bar may need to be raised regularly particularly in plant groups with lots
of breeding work.
• A plant must not require highly specialist growing conditions or care (i.e. a species thriving only in sheltered Cornish
valleys is ineligible for the AGM – unless it is also a satisfactory and commonly grown conservatory plant).
Available in the trade at some level.
• Available in the UK retail trade. In the RHS Database lists sent out, the number of nurseries supplying each plant in
the past 5 years is provided, giving an indication of popularity.
• In the case of novelties, stock should be sufficiently built up for immediate release in the UK trade.
• It is at a reasonable price for the class of plant.
• We would expect that some plants e.g. alpines would be of more limited availability than bedding plants, availability
needs to be defined appropriately to each plant group.
• Available from nurseries, seed suppliers, specialist growers and/or garden centres either through retail channels or
online in the UK.
NCH News Spring 2012
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New plants may be given an AGM pending their availability in commerce.
Of good constitution.
• Persistence in performance appropriate to its plant group.
• Stock should generally be healthy in the trade.
• Plant material which has declined over the years should be considered for the sunset list.
Essentially stable in form and colour.
• Known to be stable over an appropriate period of time dependent on genus (especially in the case of variegated
plants).
• Adherence to characteristics for which the plant was selected eg floriferousness.
Reasonably resistant to pests and diseases.
• Treatments where necessary are available to amateur gardeners.
• It must not require highly specialist care or treatment.
• At award acknowledgement of susceptibility to known diseases is stated.
• Exceeds or meets the standard of natural resistance for that genus or species i.e. Solanum tuberosum in relation to
blight resistance and Monarda cultivars and mildew resistance.
Reasons for making or rescinding the award
It is expected that a brief citation of the reasons for making or rescinding the Award of Garden Merit is prepared for each
plant. For Awards this should mention superior qualities and advantages, and any limitations in the plant’s use (e.g. for
rhododendrons, the need for acidic soil). When a deletion is recommended a reason should also be documented ( e.g.
superseded, not available, disease issues, decline of material). A list of suggested terms is given in the document Reporting the
AGM.
Further Notes:
1) Normally the AGM is awarded to a selection or cultivar rather than a wild species, but there are exceptions: for example
Acer griseum has no cultivars (in UK trade), but fits all the criteria above.
2) It is also permissible to give an AGM to a species in which the typical form has outstanding qualities, even though there
may be selected cultivars of that species. An example of this is the common Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, which in its normal
form has outstanding (AGM) qualities, but also has numerous cultivars, some of which (but not all) are also of AGM standard.
In such a case the grant of an AGM is contingent on a definition of the form to which it is granted i.e. Galanthus nivalis
(normal form) and does not apply as a blanket award to all cultivars of the species.
3) Availability is an important issue. It is expected that most AGM plants will be freely and regularly available in the trade
over a period of 5-10 years at least. It should be recognised, however, that some taxa are propagated in limited numbers by
specialist nurseries and may not be available every year. This should not be an automatic barrier to an award, or cause its
immediate forfeit. It is to be hoped that the grant of an AGM will encourage the propagation and distribution of outstanding
plants. Where an award is made to such a plant, however, care must be taken to ensure that it remains in commerce in
following years.
4) The RHS Plant Finder and RHS Database listings of plant availability do not always reflect the true position, as material
may be sold in large quantities by garden centres and other retailers who do not list their offerings in the RHS Plant Finder
system. Care must be taken to ensure that such plants do not slip the net completely.
5) It has been agreed by the RHS that invasive plant species (and their cultivars) listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act (1981) (below) should NOT be given an AGM. More information on the problems caused by invasive
plants can be found on the RHS website (http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=530).
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Vascular Plant species listed on Schedule 9, as from 6 April 2010, for England
& Wales only: [NI] indicates that the species is specifically listed for Northern Ireland as well. Scotland has its own
legislation prohibiting the planting of any non-native species in the wild.
Allium paradoxum (Leek, Fewflowered) [NI]
Allium triquetrum (Garlic, Threecornered)
Azolla filiculoides (Fern, Water) [NI]
Cabomba caroliniana (Fanwort,
Carolina Water-Shield) [NI]
Carpobrotus edulis (Fig, Hottentot)
[NI]
Cotoneaster bullatus (Cotoneaster,
Hollyberry)
Cotoneaster horizontalis
(Cotoneaster)
Cotoneaster integrifolius
(Cotoneaster, Entire-leaved)
Cotoneaster microphyllus
(Cotoneaster, Small-leaved)
Cotoneaster simonsii (Cotoneaster,
Himalayan)
Crassula helmsii (Stonecrop,
Australian Swamp; New Zealand
Pygmyweed)[NI]
Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora
(Montbretia)
Diphysma crassifolium (Dewplant,
Purple)
Eichhornia crassipes (Hyacinth,
Water)
Elodea spp. (Waterweeds) [NI]
Fallopia japonica (Knotweed,
Japanese)
Fallopia japonica × Fallopia
sachalinensis (Knotweed, Hybrid)
[F. × bohemica]
Fallopia sachalinensis (Knotweed,
Giant)
Gunnera tinctoria (Rhubarb, Giant)
[NI]
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
(Pennywort, Floating) [NI]
Impatiens glandulifera (Balsam,
Himalayan) [NI]
Lagarosiphon major (Waterweed,
Curly) [NI]
Lamiastrum galeobdolon subsp.
argentatum (Archangel, Variegated
Yellow)
Ludwigia grandiflora (Primrose,
Water)
Ludwigia peploides (Primrose,
Floating Water)
Ludwigia uruguayensis (Primrose,
Water)
Myriophyllum aquaticum (Parrot’s
Feather) [NI]
Parthenocissus inserta (Creeper,
False Virginia)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
(Creeper, Virginia)
Pistia stratiotes (Lettuce, Water) [NI]
Rhododendron luteum (Azalea,
Yellow)
Rhododendron ponticum
(Rhododendron)
Rhododendron ponticum ×
Rhododendron maximum
(Rhododendron)
Rosa rugosa (Rose, Japanese)
Sagittaria latifolia (Potato, Duck)
Salvinia molesta (Salvinia, Giant)
[NI]
Smyrnium perfoliatum (Alexanders,
Perfoliate)
Heracleum mantegazzianum (Giant
Hogweed) and Polygonum
cuspidatum
(Japanese Knotweed) were listed in
Schedule 9 in the original Act (1981)
and
in an amendment to the Act (1991)
respectively. The latter is now listed
as
Fallopia japonica.
REPORTING THE AGM
To keep an accurate record and enable the RHS database to be updated and maintained effectively, the Informatics team at
Wisley have requested that results for the AGM Review should include certain basic information. Please include this in your
returns from working parties.
1) Committee responsible for the review.
2) Plant names should be given (where possible) in the form used in the RHS database/Plant Finder.
3) Reasons for awarding or rescinding an AGM (see below).
4) The new RHS hardiness rating (see below),
REASONS FOR AWARDING/RESCINDING AN AGM
A brief note is needed to remind future reviewers/database users of why a plant has been given an AGM or had a previous
award rescinded. This can be very simple and brief and some keywords are suggested here.
New awards:
Excellence: the presumption is that an AGM is granted for generally excellent garden performance in appropriate conditions.
Trial: the AGM has been recommended following an RHS trial.
Fuller notes can be provided if thought desirable, and would be particularly useful if a cultivar has been recommended to
supersede a previously awarded plant.
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Rescindments:
Suggested keywords from Richard Sanford, of which the first two are probably the most important.
not available
not excellent
not good constitution
not stable in form/colour
not resistant to pests &
diseases
superseded – preferably
state by what
stock problems
virused
confusion over identity
for the specialist
reverts
not reliable
not easy to grow
too variable
no longer maintained
invasive
not in EC catalogue
other
RHS HARDINESS RATINGS
Please give the new RHS Hardiness Rating for each awarded plant. The table provided (at end of newsletter) has
been approved for use in the AGM Review by Jim Gardiner, and the ratings and concepts are now fixed. The
wording of the definitions may alter slightly before general publication, however, and any comments on these would
be welcome. This scheme is based on plant tolerances/requirements NOT geographical area, thus making it a much
more useful and flexible way of relating plant hardiness to location than, for example, the USDA hardiness map.
This version of the table includes USDA zones for comparative purposes, but these will probably be omitted from
the published version.
A History of a County’s National Plant Collections®.
In my role as Co-­‐ordinator for Surrey I have become aware that collections have come and gone since the earliest days of the organisation and I decided to set about tracing the history of our past as well as our present collections. This is proving to be a fascinating as well as a somewhat frustrating exercise.
I have records of the more recent collections passed down to me, I have been through the minutes of all Surrey group committee meetings and AGMs, I have read all the group newsletters and searched every edition of the Directory since it was >irst issued. Still there are gaps in the story which I am trying to >ill but I suspect there is some information I will never track down – people move and nurseries close and head gardeners change.
I urge all those connected with National Plant Collections now to keep more detailed records. This knowledge is often useful when trying to track down a particular plant which may have disappeared from a collection – a previous custodian may remember that it was propagated and passed on to someone who may still have it.
One of the most dif>icult tasks of a co-­‐ordinator is ensuring the future of all collections in their care and as I learn more about our past collections I realise more and more how important this is.
Anne Folkes.
!
Hozelock, the UK’s leading supplier of gardening equipment, are partnered with Plant Heritage in 2012 and suppor@ng the Threatened Plants Project. We look forward to working with them. For more informa@on on Hozelock, please go to www.hozelock.com
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The National
Plant Collections
The Directory for 2012 has now
been published. The cover
features Thymus by Collection
Holder Margaret Easter, 2011
Brickell Award recipient
There is a new membership leaflet
available - please ask if you would
like copies
membership@plantheritage.org.uk
®
DIRECTORY
2012
Sponsored by
E
New membership
leaflet
New Directory
Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales
G
Over 650 specialist collections
and where to visit them
Imagine
yourself . . .
Looking for lilies
Madeleine Tinson who is one of our newest Collection Holders is
looking for help in tracking down plants missing from her Collection
of Mylnefield lilies.
The cultivars she is searching for are all North hybrids and were bred
in Scotland, specifically for the climate.
© Stan Farrow Images
Lilium ‘Adonis’
Lilium ‘ Eureka’
Bookmark
Lilium ‘Pandora’
If you have these plants, or information on their whereabouts, please
contact Madeleine on maddy.tinson@gmail.com
Sponsored by Gold Leaf Gardening
Gloves, Jo has put together a new
bookmark, included in the Directory
mailing, reminding members of the
importance of legacies.
Looking for a home
Iris ‘Zweites Hundert’
. . . in a garden
without flowers
www.plantheritage.com
The Collection of Sisrynchium in Norfolk belonging to Mrs J Burgess has
been withdrawn from the scheme at the owners request.
Kindly
supported
by Gold Leaf
Gardening
Gloves
She is very interested in selling the collection, if you are interested or
know someone who is, please contact the Collections Coordinator for
Norfolk, Janet Sleep on janetsleep@gmail.com
www.goldleaf-gloves.com
New PR Officer
Water use
Nicola Savage, our PR Officer, who joined
in November 2009, recently resigned, her
last day was 14 February. Nicola has
moved to the edge of Hampshire and the
commute was no longer viable.
For those Collection Holders in areas with a hosepipe ban: please see
information on watering your Collection on the Plant Heritage
website, under National Collections, Collection Holder Resources,
Watering your Collection.
The document linked to is too long to be included here, but can be
downloaded here:
Nicola has been replaced by Victoria
Shepherd who starts 19 March.
Victoria’s experience includes Senior
Press Officer for Safeway Stores plc
and Market Editor for Farmers Weekly
magazine. She will work 15 hours a
week.
Vicky can be reached
on profficer@plantheritage.org.uk
NCH News Spring 2012
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2231/pdfs/
uksi_20102231_en.pdf
and contains the information on the exemption of watering National
Plant Collections from temporary bans of water use. Depending on
the policy of your water company, you may or may not need to contact
them to explain that you are exempt, giving them a copy of this
document should help with that.
Vicky Shepherd
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Dahlia ‘Tommy Keith’ © Plant Heritage
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Best of the Blog
Where do you stop?
Gillian Spencer, Conservation and Membership Administrator
This was the question posed by
Bob Sweet (RHS Head of Show
Development) to the
participants at a recent
Hampton Court Palace Flower
Show (HCPFS) briefing
meeting. Planning for this show starts
about 6 weeks after the
previous show has finished
and Joanna Jones had got
together RHS shows people,
exhibiting National
Collection Holders (NCH),
members of the Plant
Heritage Shows committee,
volunteers who mastermind
the Seed Shop, labellers, a
garden designer, garden
builders, and even some
NCHs who might exhibit
next year.
From the colour of the
hessian to the size of the
stands, from the concept of
the show feature to the
Health and Safety
requirements, all these
details were aired during the
meeting. But for me, the
most fascinating part was the
guidelines about the judging
process.
The exhibitors in the Plant
Heritage marquee are judged
according to the Lindley
Award scheme which
recognises our educational
remit and has a section for
interpretation. So an
exhibitor could place two
identical displays, one in the
Floral marquee and one in
the PH marquee and score
differently in the two
locations because telling the
story of the plants is so
important for the Lindley
category.
And this is where the title
question is posed. We all
know the phrase 'Less is
more' and this might be a
situation when this is true.
Visitors generally only have
a short attention span and
will not read reams of small
print, so the NCH must select
the most essential or
interesting points to use in
their information boards.
Jim Marshall’s Malmaison
Dianthus display which won
a gold medal last year was
picked out because the plant
material was top-notch, the
design was inspirational with
a real 'wow' factor and the
interpretation was
appropriate.
Scale of Endeavour is
apparently an area which
prompts much discussion
among the judges - a
collection of very rare
specimens will rank highly
for endeavour - and Tom
Hart Dyke's Eucalyptus
display scored highly in this
category because of the
unusual plants exhibited.
If July is not the flowering
season for the plants then
they can still be displayed
and photographs will
supplement the stand something which Sandy
Worth does very well with
her displays of Papaver.
If pots are visible, they must
be clean and aesthetically
pleasing
Handouts, containing more
information about the
plants, must be available
Ideally all stands are
complete by the Sunday
evening, the day before
The exhibitor has a very
difficult job in selecting what Press Day, ready for the five
judges who visit and rate the
information to use out of
displays. Two
their wealth of knowledge;
but what the visitor needs to moderators are appointed
know is a little about the size for the season and
of the collection, propagation independently mark the
features to ensure
methods and growing
consistency across all of the
mediums, and pests and
RHS shows in a year. diseases. Plants must be
Medals are awarded
labelled and details of
parentage for hybrids or date according to a points system,
so there is no limit to the
of introduction add to the
number of medals or their
picture.
category, although there can
Regulations are few, but
obviously only be one 'Best
include;
in Show'.
No peat for plunging or
mulching
No damaged plants, even if
it's the only one you have
We are very proud of Gillian who was a finalist in the Garden Media Guild New Talent section. The blog
is www.plantheritage.wordpress.com
where you will find many posts on National Collections & Collection Holders
Congratulations to
Roger Parsons
NCH of Lathyrus, for receiving the coveted Henry
Eckford Gold Memorial Medal from the National
Sweet Pea Society.
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This is the Society’s highest honour and is
rarely awarded. The award was inaugurated
in 1921 to commemorate the great Victorian
raiser of Sweet Peas, Henry Eckford, and
recognises Roger’s encyclopaedic knowledge
of the history of the Sweet Pea, his work for
NSPS, and his writing, notably his most recent
book ‘Sweet Peas- an Essential
Guide’ (Crowood Press, ISBN
978-1-84797-250-7)
NCH News Autumn 2011
P
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Threatened Plants Project
latest news
H
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Threatened cultivars
found out of first 3,611
Total cultivars grown
National Plant Collections
1,1462 (at least 1,121 unique)
35-50,000 (estimated)
RHS Gardens
778 (622 unique)
28,000
National Trust properties
77 (49 unique)
17,000*
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
75 (43 unique)
13,000
RBG, Kew & Wakehurst
Place
67 (44 unique)
8,200*
Sheffield Botanical Gardens
49 (30 unique)
2,000
RBGE Gardens
38 (17 unique)
2,800
Eden Project
32 (20 unique)
3,5000
Cambridge University
Botanic Garden
32 (12 unique)
1,800
St Andrews Botanic Garden
29 (14 unique)
1,800*
National Botanic Garden of
Wales
27 (20 unique)
3,000
Plant Heritage Plant
Exchange
24 (15 unique)
300
University of Oxford Botanic
Garden
22 (14 unique)
1,3000
HPS Pulmonaria
Conservation Project
14 (14 unique)
45
Bristol Zoo Gardens
5 (3 unique)
900*
National Botanic Gardens of
Ireland
4 (2 unique)
3,700
HPS Conservation
3 (1 unique)
100
Kalani Seymour
The importance of the great diversity of plants in the
National Plant Collections is Plant Heritage’s reason
for existence. The Threatened Plants Project has
recently been able to highlight that importance – as
you will soon be able to read in our 2012 Directory
and Spring Journal, and in the April issue of The
Horticulturist. But what are the latest figures?
Two-thirds of all the cultivars we know of (in the
first 56 genera analysed) are now so rare as to be
‘threatened in cultivation’. As you can see right,
National Plant Collections have almost half of these
rare plants. RHS Gardens are next with one-fifth, but
507 of the 778 are actually in National Collections. In
fact the numbers for different gardens include eight
National Collections held by RHS Gardens, the
National Trust, Hilliers and the University of Oxford
Botanic Garden.
So you are the biggest force for conservation of
cultivated plant varieties there is. Well done! Please
keep up the good work, the world is watching!
Plant Conservation
Committee meeting
New Collections at the meeting of March 2012
Prunus (ornamental flowering cherries - Keele
University, Staffs. Provisional for 2 years
Gongora species - Dr Gary Firth, West Sussex. Full
Crassula species - Amanda Whittaker. Hampshire.
Provisional for 2 years
Rosa - pre 1900 Gallica cultivars - Mrs R Foyle, South
East Scotland. Provisional for 2 years
Ron Evans Obituary
Ron Evans, former NCH of Echeveria & Cyclamen died on 3 December 2011.
Ron was a professional nurseryman and horticulturist, his whole life was amongst
plants and he only retired from work when he was in his early 80s. He was a prominent
member of several international specialist plant societies and wrote for their journals.
Fellow experts around the world knew him for his knowledge and his skill in growing
difficult plants.
His NCs were only a part of his vast collection of superbly grown and curated plants
that he had gathered across 60 years. To ensure their survival, he propagated plants
prolifically and spread them widely to other growers. When he gave up his collection,
material went to three NCs and other expert growers so his plants live on in the care of
others.
That he is no longer amongst us will take a lot of getting used to but his name lives on
in Echeveria ‘Ron Evans’ a very good, small green-leaved cultivar with orange flowers.
We are making it available to anyone who wishes to grow it.
Steven Thompson, East Midlands PH Group
NCH News Spring 2012
* accessions not taxa
Plant Conservation
Committee
Mike Buffin - Chair
Tim Upson - Vice Chair
Lloyd Kenyon - Vice Chair (Conservation)
Edna Squires - Regional Coordinator-South West England
Gary Firth - Regional Coordinator -South East England
Ingrid Millington - Regional Coordinator - West Central
England & Wales
Ross Kerby - Regional Coordinator - Scotland, Ireland, &
North of England
Susyn Andrews - Horticultural Taxonomist
Jonathan Webster - RHS Rosemoor
Christopher Bailes - Chelsea Physic Garden
Pat Huff - Editor Plant Heritage Journal
Mercy Morris - Plant Conservation Officer
Kalani Seymour - Threatened Plants Project Coordinator
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