Rooting out hidden gems
THE Threatened Plant of the Year competition is underway, Plant Heritage has announced, and those with a love of gardening, plants or flowers have been asked to scour their own green spaces for 'hidden gems' that could become 2023's winner.
The competition is seeking 'unusual, rare, or special cultivars' that are not currently commercially available, and are named cultivars that have been sold or grown in the UK or Ireland prior to 2013. Last year's winner was Paeonia 'Gleam of Light', which was discovered in the garden of Roz Cooper.
'Roz's garden was the only recorded location of this type of peony, which is one of the reasons it won,' says Vicki Cooke, conservation manager at Plant Heritage. Thanks to her ongoing care, its future is much brighter, as she has provided plant material to someone starting a historic peony collection in Cornwall, which is helping to rebuild numbers of this unique plant.
'Since winning our competition, Roz has had contact from others who believe they may also own one, which is just fantastic. We hope to see more interesting entries this year, which we hope can help change the fortunes of another rare plant, just like with Roz's pretty peony.'
To find out more and to enter, visit www.plantheritage.org.uk
A shot in the arm for Nature
FUNDING for the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme has been extended, Defra has announced, much to the joy of national parks such as Exmoor (above).
Denne historien er fra February 08, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 08, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
