A pub and a prison are the first of their kind to be awarded National Plant Collection status by horticultural conservation charity Plant Heritage. The White Hart, a popular village pub in Bitton, Gloucestershire, and HMP Eastwood Park, a prison and young offender institution for women located north of Bristol, hold prize collections of Crocosmia cvs. and Tulbaghia respectively.
They are two of more than 700 National Plant Collections, usually found in gardens, greenhouses, allotments, arboretums, plant nurseries, botanic gardens, historic houses, zoos, and public parks across the UK and Ireland. Their aim is to ensure that different plant groups remain in cultivation for future generations to enjoy.
The White Hart’s Crocosmia collection boasts nearly 200 varieties, from rare cultivars such as ‘Zeal Remembrance’ to more common forms found in…
