Warley Place and the plant reminders of Miss Ellen Wilmott

Ken Crowther talks to Sandra Lawrence, the author of a book called ‘Miss Willmott’s Ghosts: the extraordinary life and gardens of a forgotten genius’. Sandra has been researching the life and times of Ellen Wilmott the former owner of Warley Place in Essex.

Have you visited Warley Place in Essex and seen the many fascinating plants there? Post a comment below and tell us about your experience >>>

Sandra had access to new correspondence and diaries written by Miss Willmott that had never been seen by biographers. Sandra says she was extremely lucky: “She corresponded and worked with people all over the world. I spoke to people in New Zealand, Canada and Japan about Miss Willmott.”

The famous story attached to Miss Willmott is that she carried around the seeds of a very pricky sea holly and would scatter them in other people’s gardens. Eryngium giganteum is known as Miss Willmott’s Ghost. Sandra says: “I have traced that story back to 1966, when horticulturalist, Graham Stuart Thomas was asking in Notes and Queries about why this plant had that name. Graham was a massive Willmott nerd and if he didn’t know this story, then chances are it didn’t exist.”

For more information on Sandra Lawrence visit her website here.

Warley Place in Essex has extensive daffodils during spring and details on how to visit are here.

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