Jack Aldridge, for whom Cornus is not the only genus

by Clare L. E. Foster, WHF Trustee Jack Aldridge, WHF Trustee and Horticulturalist at RHS Wisley, gave a Thursday Garden Chat for Garden Masterclass about his work on Oakwood at Wisley; other recent talks range from ‘Woody Plants that Should be Better Known and Grown’ for Plant Heritage, and an overview of Camellia sasanqua forContinue reading “Jack Aldridge, for whom Cornus is not the only genus”

Elegant and resilient: some new garden-worthy Camellia species

…a continuously expanding new range of plants which are beginning to prove their value in gardens, and for hybridising, too.

Two rare Philadelphus re-located

by WHF Trustee Chris Sanders, VMH As a result of the successful Philadelphus study day held at WHF on Saturday 17th June, two rare Lemoine Philadelphus cultivars believed to have been lost to cultivation have come to light. Philadelphus ‘Oeil de Pourpre’ (Purpureomaculatus Group) Trustee Jack Aldridge, who is based at Wisley, brought a handsome specimenContinue reading “Two rare Philadelphus re-located”

Magnolia Study Day 2023

On Saturday April 8th students and faculty from Wisley, Great Dixter and Kew gathered round a table of vases of magnolias in current bloom, selected from the WHF collection of around 250 species and cultivars from Magnolia, Michelia and Mangleitia. These students were joined by WHF Friends and Volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, fromContinue reading “Magnolia Study Day 2023”

‘Planting an Idea’: Maurice Foster asks should more be done to reconcile good taxonomic practice with the needs of gardeners?

This article first appeared in The Plant Review (previously The Plantsman), the RHS publication devoted to the diversity of cultivated plants rhs.org.uk/theplantreview

Deutzia seedlings at WHF: the problem of selection

‘Deutzias are a group of plants that all keen gardeners are aware of, that most gardeners with an interest in woody plants grow, that very few understand as a group, and that are greatly confused in cultivation.,’ says Rod White (Vice-Chair of the RHS Woody Plants Committee with responsibility for Trials). ‘The range of DeutziasContinue reading “Deutzia seedlings at WHF: the problem of selection”

Magnolia ‘Premier Cru’

Coming into bloom early in March, this hybrid combines extraordinary intensity of colour with free-flowering habit in a 40 foot tree (some twenty years old) that appears to be still growing. Premier Cru is one of the most noticeable magnolia seedlings raised by Maurice Foster at White House Farm. It is a sister seedling ofContinue reading “Magnolia ‘Premier Cru’”