Legacy plants, and a little help from Gardeners' Question Time



The Gardeners' Question Time Team l-r Eric Robson, Chris Beardshaw, Bunny Guiness & Bob Flowerdew

It’s been a hectic week at the gardens. We got planning permission at the end of January for opening the gardens, and for building a visitors’ hub. We now need to plan the work so the parking is in place before we open properly. Time to start gathering firm quotes from contractors, methinks!

We’ve also been working with a very talented young graphic designer called Andy, from A Spark, A Flame, A Fire on branding for the gardens. We saw the first versions on Friday. We’re incredibly excited, and can’t wait to reveal our new logo. Watch this space!

Last week, I mentioned Nigel and I had been invited along to Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. Last night was the recording, and we gathered along with about 250 gardening fanatics at The Mitchell Arts Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. Our ticket slips gave us space to write down a question for the panel of horticultural experts. Too good an opportunity not to see  if we could get some free advice for Betley Court Gardens. We popped our queries onto the slips and into a box for the panel to sift through before the recording began.

Radio 4 records two episodes at a time, and for each show the host, Eric Robson called down ten questionees to sit at the front. What I hadn’t told Nigel was that I’d put HIS name on MY slip as the thought of me speaking in front of a crowd is mildly terrifying. Duly, my question was picked and Nigel was called to the front to take his place with the other questionees, for the second of the two recordings. Thankfully, they gave the question slips back, but I was concerned the panel might ask Nigel a follow up question, in which case he might be in trouble and his plant knowledge exhausted pretty quickly.

Our question concerned an ancient snowdrop tree (Helesia carolina) that grows to the left of the Long Path. It flowers during our bluebell season (April-May), and visitors have always made quite a fuss of its pretty snowdrop-like flowers. Sadly, our specimen is on its last legs, and chronically overshadowed by self-sown oaks and a huge copper beech. We estimate it is at least two hundred years old, which given the species was only introduced into the Britain in 1756, demonstrates just how ahead of the Jones’ the families of Betley Court liked to be.

Snowdrop Tree - Helesia carolina

Nigel asked the panel if it would be possible to propagate our elderly snowdrop tree, to keep it going in the garden. We were in luck! One of the panellists, Chris Beardshaw is an Helesia enthusiast, and rhapsodised at length on the attractiveness of the flowers. The panel suggested we use a technique called ‘layering’ to propagate new material. And Chris confirmed that the overshadowing was doing our snowdrop tree no good at all. Very helpful advice, so we can (hopefully) resurrect our beloved snowdrop tree. Exciting news indeed, as the snowdrop tree was one of Nigel’s late Mum’s favourite specimens in the garden. I would dearly like it to have a continued presence in the gardens, as a legacy plant. And you’ll be pleased to hear Nigel acquitted himself admirably during the follow up questions. I also believe he’ll forgive me one day for landing him in it!

Whether or not our question makes the final edit and is broadcast, we can honestly say the Gardeners’ Question Time panel gave us advice on what to do with our Helesia carolina.

I’ll sign off with Eric Robson’s words: ‘good day and good gardening’

Ladybird Su