Ellen Ann Willmott gardener and botanical rosarian". The Garden. 104 (6): 241–246. June 1979. {{ cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year ( link) She was also known for being a prodigious spender. In 1905 she bought a third estate in Ventimiglia, Italy. [1] Willmott used her wealth to fund plant-hunting expeditions to China and the Middle East, [1] and species discovered on these excursions would often be named after her. The expeditions she sponsored included those of Ernest Henry Wilson, who named Ceratostigma willmottianum, Rosa willmottiae and Corylopsis willmottiae after her. [9] Over fifty plant species or varieties were named for her and her gardens. [8]

Willmott received a substantial inheritance from her godmother, another keen gardener, Countess Helen Tasker of Middleton Hall, Brentwood, who died in 1888. [6] [7] This enabled her to buy her first property near Aix-les-Bains, France, in 1890. [1] [2] Horticultural career [ edit ] Ceratostigma willmottianum, one of over 60 species named after Ellen Willmott or Warley Place. a b "A Short History of Warley Place". Warleyplace.org. Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010 . Retrieved 12 April 2010. There are other sea hollies ( Eryngium spp.) that you can grow, all perennials and much smaller, but with similar flowers. As the name suggests, E. giganteum is the giant of the genus and the only biennial. When I returned home, in a rush of excitement to obtain the plant for my garden, I bought some seeds. I knew already that Miss Willmott’s Ghost was a biennial and wouldn’t flower before its second growing season. It was the first time I’d had to chill seeds in the fridge, though, to break their dormancy. That took some explaining to my family.The standard author abbreviation E.Willm. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. [20] Other interests [ edit ] Wallis, Lucy (28 May 2022). "Sabotage and pistols - was Ellen Willmott gardening's 'bad girl'?". BBC News . Retrieved 28 May 2022. Miss Willmott’s Ghost is the most famous tale associated with this pioneering and eccentric gardener. The story exists in different forms. Ellen Willmott (1858 – 1934) was an English heiress who became the leading plantswoman of her generation. It is claimed that Miss Willmott grew over 100, 000 different varieties of plants at her estates, the principal one being Warley Place in Essex. One of the aspects of Miss Willmott’s Ghost that I’ve most enjoyed has been the contrast with neighbouring plants. In particular, Stipa gigantea. This was much more of a happy accident than a vision of how they would work together. (Have you had some of those, too?) I especially loved the wands of the Stipa rising through the Eryngium flowers. They swayed gently in unison like a choir.

Sow indoors. Surface sow onto moist well-drained seed compost. Just cover with vermiculite. Propagate 18-22°C. for 2-4 weeks. Do not exclude light. Germination can be slow. Seal seed container in a polythene bag and leave for 2 further weeks, then cold stratify. Move to a fridge 4°C for 3-6 weeks. After this return to warmth but no more than 18°C. If germination does not occur within 6-10 weeks return to fridge for further 3-6 weeks. Examine regularly whilst in fridge and immediately remove any seeds which show signs of germination. Move to 8cm pots. Acclimatise and plant out after danger of frost has passed. Willmott’s prodigious spending during her lifetime caused financial difficulties in later life, forcing her to sell her French and Italian properties, and eventually her personal possessions. [2] She became increasingly eccentric and paranoid: she booby-trapped her estate to deter thieves, and carried a revolver in her handbag. [9] [3] Willmott was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting in 1928, although later acquitted. [22] At her peak, Ellen Willmott, supported plant-hunting trips to China and the middle east, and created two notable gardens in France and Italy. Over 60 plants have been named after her or her main garden at Warley. The garden looks tranquil, trouble free. But things are on the turn. By early afternoon, the dark shade that hid in corners and under bushes during summer emerges with preternatural speed and subjugates the garden. Leaves are already changing colour on deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers. Once storm Babet arrives there will be more leaves on the ground than those remaining on stems and branches. Nature restores herself. Fallen leaves return fertility to the soil, rotting down, ready to feed next year’s growth. Liberating” Seeds in Other People’s Gardens Miss Willmott’s ghost, with its appropriately ghostly silver coloration, pops up here and there in some of the world’s best gardens. Photo: www.gardenia.net

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Now, more reasoned heads than mine will suggest that it’s most likely I accidentally introduced it through the soil of another plant or that a goldfinch (they loveeryngium seeds!) dropped a seed from another garden, but I like to think that the ghost of Miss Willmott herself planted it as a reminder to let my garden be as natural as possible.

Willmott, Miss Ellen Ann (MHS Objects associated with: IRN 2415)". Museum of the History of Science . Retrieved 28 October 2019. Ellen Willmott became an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, joining it in 1894. Miss Willmott and Gertrude Jekyll were the only two women amongst 58 men to be awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) in 1897, the year of its institution to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Ellen didn’t turn up to collect her prestigious medal, causing a scandal. Some unkind voices said it was because she had a falling out with other members. Hobhouse and Wood, Penelope and Christopher (1988). Painted Gardens. English Watercolours 1850-1914. London: Pavilion. p.208. ISBN 978-1-85145-638-3.a b c d "Forgotten Gardeners - Ellen Wilmott". Woman's Hour. 30 March 2007. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 28 May 2022. It was well worth the wait. In fact, from spring to autumn, Miss Willmott’s Ghost had me captivated. Heavily veined green leaves emerged in November. Then the first flower cone appeared. Over the next month, stems powered out of the ground and branched out, forming a plant of about 90cm by 90cm. By this point, the bracts and cones had developed a newly-minted silveriness. Gordon, Susan. "Ellen Ann Willmott - a true genius of the place - A disagreement with E.A. Bowles". Parks & Gardens Data Service. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. But Ellen Willmott also lived well beyond her means. She gradually squandered her fortune, went bankrupt and was forced to sell her estates. She eventually died penniless. She also became increasing eccentric, even paranoid, booby-trapping her estate to deter thieves and carrying a pistol in her handbag at all times. She also had strange gardening habits, one of which led to the name Miss Willmott’s ghost. To learn more about the obsessive and brilliant Ellen Willmott I highly recommend Sandra Lawrence’s wonderful book, ‘ Miss Willmott’s Ghost: the extraordinary life and gardens of a forgotten genius’. Publisher: Manilla.