News from the gardening world
CLASSIC CAMELLIAS REVEALED
Acollection of camellias found growing in a roofless glasshouse may be Britain’s oldest, experts say. After enduring for more than 200 years they would surpass those in the internationally-famous collection at Chiswick House in North London, which are thought to date from the 1820s.
The venerable evergreen shrubs growing in the ramshackle Camellia House in the grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, could so easily have been consigned to the compost heap as the Grade II listed structure is earmarked for conversion into a café. Thankfully camellia expert Geraldine King, Estate Gardens Manager at Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, was invited to take a look.
“When I walked into Wentworth’s Camellia House and saw what a treasure the Trust had without realising it, I almost fell over with shock,” said Geraldine. “There are 19 camellias in the collection. So far we've identified three historic varieties and the most precious is a Camellia japonica ‘Alba Plena’, one of the first varieties to be introduced into Europe in 1792.” The specimen is taller and wider than the one at Chiswick with a trunk 72cm (2¼ft) in circumference. Originally a menagerie for a collection of exotic animals in the 18th century, the building was converted to a Camellia House in the 19th century.
The historic plants will be propagated at Chiswick, and, if successful, will be returned to South Yorkshire in four years. Next spring members of the International Camellia Society will return to Wentworth to try and identify more species, using finely detailed descriptions penned by early 18th century growers.
“There are now 300,000 varieties of camellia, but in 1802 the British had a choice of only four,” said Geraldine. “We have these at Chiswick House and are keen to find out if Wentworth has them too.”
With the camellias saved the glasshouse will still be converted into a café and events space by 2022 thanks to a £1.5 million Lottery grant, part of a masterplan to restore the architecture and grounds of Wentworth Woodhouse.