‘ A clematis changed my life!’
The first plant I ever grew
As a small boy I recall growing lettuce for my pet tortoise. I was also a serial planter of tree seeds, with conkers and acorns being my particular favourites. Unfortunately, the family moved around a lot and I never saw them get to any size.
Plant that shaped the person I am today
When my wife Liz and I started the nursery, common honeysuckle, Lonicera
periclymenum, was one of the few things that I could propagate reliably. It made me determined to concentrate on climbing plants. Despite now having a large collection of climbing honeysuckle species and named forms, I still think the straight native species is the best.
My favourite plant in the world
It’s really hard to pick just one! If they were only scented, it would be climbing alstroemeria,
Bomarea edulis but, sadly, as they aren’t, I’ll go for Mandevilla
laxa which produces its highly scented, large, white flowers from June to November here in my garden in Cornwall.
The plant that changed my life
Clematis viticella, grown from seed 34 years ago and still flowering in the garden. It showed me that clothing shrubs and structures with an additional plant can give summer colour. We’ve ended up holding a National Collection of this versatile group of clematis.
The plant that has made me work the hardest
The evergreen Chilean bellflower, Lapageria rosea. It’s slow to propagate from seed or cuttings, and slow to get started as a young plant. It’s also fussy about growing conditions, especially as a young plant, but they’re always worth the effort when you see them reach flowering size.
Plant I am in human form
Common ivy, Hedera helix, is an opportunistic survivor blessed with an abundance of low animal cunning!
Plant I would love to grow more of
Bougainvillea always conjures up memories of travel to foreign parts and a normal sight of my port calls in earlier life. I wish they’d flower outside here. I can get them to survive but without the colourful bracts, there’s little point to the huge effort involved. Although they look lovely in my conservatory, its not the same!
The plant I’d always give as a gift
I hope I could match a plant to the gardener. Most would be happy with clematis ‘Lambton Park’, with yellow, coconut-scented bells and classic fluffy seed heads. As it can be cut back hard each winter, it should never outgrow its welcome.