Archibald Campbell was a political officer at Darjeeling in N. India at the time of Joseph Hooker’s celebrated 1849 visit to the Himalaya, which he helped to expedite. He was perhaps fortunate to have the most spectacular flowering tree yet discovered – the pink type species of Magnolia campbellii – named for him by Hooker.Continue reading “The majesty of Magnolia campbellii”
Tag Archives: Plants
Mahonias: mainstays of the garden from September to March
One of our main occupations at present is to review all genera in the collection here at White House Farm, with a view to completing an accurate database, and creating permanent labels. Trustees Chris Sanders, Jack Aldridge and Rod White have all recently been trawling through the Mahonia collection in a valiant attempt to sortContinue reading “Mahonias: mainstays of the garden from September to March”
Summer colour at White House Farm: the Hydrangea reappraised
by Clare Foster, Chair of the Board of Trustees, WHFAF On Wednesday July 10th we will hold an afternoon Garden Masterclass tour of White House Farm with Maurice Foster, Caroline Jackson, Jack Aldridge and Annie Guilefoyle, exploring White House Farm’s collection of Japanese serrata cultivars and Maurice’s own serrata hybrids. A few places are stillContinue reading “Summer colour at White House Farm: the Hydrangea reappraised”
Cherry-picking for bark
WHF Trustee Chris Lane, who holds the national collection of prunus at his Witch Hazel nursery suggests some Prunus worth growing for their beautiful trunks alone, with flowers the icing on the cake (or cherry on top….) Reproduced with the kind permission of the RHS Plant Review (March 2024). Upcoming events at White House FarmContinue reading “Cherry-picking for bark”
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.
Erwan Le Bec shares his experience of interning at White House Farm
Erwan Le Bec, a French horticultural student at INH school (Agrocampus Ouest Angers) writes about his recent visit to us as an intern. He left us with extraordinary photographs and research notes about our collections. Since I was a child I’ve had a particular interest in the world of plants. It started with my grandfather’sContinue reading “Erwan Le Bec shares his experience of interning at White House Farm”
Owan Hayman reports on the Hydrangea aspera study day at White House Farm
This is a repost of Owan Hayman’s blog ‘Hydrangea aspera: in love with lacecaps at White House Farm’ as part of his monthly blog series ‘In From The Garden’ for garden designers Bestall & Co (first published on September 8th, 2022). In mid-August, I joined a trip to visit a little-known treasure trove of aContinue reading “Owan Hayman reports on the Hydrangea aspera study day at White House Farm”
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’”
White House Farm Garden and Arboretum 