An album of pictures from my visit to RHS Wisley Gardens on 11th March 2019 just outside of London, one of my favourite gardens for edimental spotting which I’ve visited many times over the years. I’ve added comments of edibility to most pictures!
Wisley Gardens
Hylotelephium spectabile “Brilliant” (a good spring salad plant)
Artichokes or cardoon
Gunnera
Gunnera shoots
Stachyurus chinensis “Celina” has longer flowers than the species. S. praecox flowers are reported eaten cooked with oil and salt
Primula hybrid
Erythronium “Pagoda”
The inner bark of Edgeworthias are used for making paper (e.g., in Nepal and China)
Ostrich fern was already almost past the best time for harvesting (2 months ahead of my part of Norway)
Erythroniums are edible
Ligularia stenocephala is one of the species eaten in Japan (I haven’t tried it yet)
Magnolias were emerging…the buds and flowers are eaten in different parts of the world and some I’ve tried have been delicious!
The trial grounds at Wisley are always interesting to the edimentalist!
Trial of Nepetas
Sanguisorba trial…there are about 18 species and most are grown only as ornamentals, but only salad burnet (S. minor) is mentioned as edible. The truth is that this one is probably the least useful as a vegetable /salad crop
Sanguisorba trial bed
Lily trial…it would be interesting also to do a taste trial of the bulbs!
Trial of Echinacea
Trial of Hibiscus syriacus, both leaves and flowers are edible…lucky is he/she who can grow these (I can’t)
The rosemary trial is nearing the end
List of rosemary cultivars being trialled
Raspberry trial
Raspberry trial
Trachycarpus fortunei is best known as a fibre plant and ornamental. I’ve never heard of the fruit being eaten but Cornucopia II states “The young inflorescence is eaten in much the same way as bamboo sprouts. Fresh flowers and the terminal bud are also apparently consumed.”
Red Admiral butterflies are now known to overwinter in mild winters in the UK
A great specimen of Japanese pepper tree (Zanthoxylum piperitum)
A great specimen of Japanese pepper tree (Zanthoxylum piperitum)
Dandelion sculpture by artist Robin Wight
Dandelion sculpture by artist Robin Wight
Dandelion sculpture by artist Robin Wight
Magnolia “Ian’s Red” – the buds and flowers are eaten in different parts of the world and some I’ve tried have been delicious!
Magnolia “Ian’s Red” – the buds and flowers are eaten in different parts of the world and some I’ve tried have been delicious!
Magnolia x loebneri – the buds and flowers are eaten in different parts of the world and some I’ve tried have been delicious!
Magnolia – the buds and flowers are eaten in different parts of the world and some I’ve tried have been delicious!
Not edible Corylopsis spicata
“Ornamental” onion bed
“Ornamental” onion bed
Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum), a leek relative
Protected (against frost) apricot flowers
Bracken winter protected fig
Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) are at last becoming better known in Europe
National Fruit Collections ae administered by the organisation Plant Heritage who I gave a talk to the same night!
The National Rhubarb collection consists of 125 cultivars
The National Rhubarb collection consists of 125 cultivars
A dwarf broad bean was already in flower
The fruit field has over 1,000 different fruit cultivars including 700 apples, planted in 1948!
The fruit field has over 1,000 different fruit cultivars including 700 apples, planted in 1948!
Apple “Pixie”
Typha spp. (bulrush or cattails)
Flower buds on Aloe vera in the glasshouse
Begonia soli-mutata in the glasshouse (many Begonias are edible)
Edgeworthia underplanted with daffodils
An Edgeworthia cultivar
Hamamelis x intermedia “Aphrodite” (medicinal)
Cardiocrinum (Giant Himalayan Lily) has edible bulbs
Cardiocrinum spp. (edible bulbs)
Erythronium tuolumense is edible
Ypsilandra thibetica flowers early (a medicinal plant in its homeland)
I was surprised to see Trilliums in flower!
I was surprised to see Trilliums in flower!
In the alpine house (under glass), a food plant of the Palestinians, Cyclamen persicum)
There was a nice collection of Hepaticas (not edible)
There was a nice collection of Hepaticas (not edible)
In the alpine house (under glass), a food plant of the Palestinians, Cyclamen persicum)
Tulipa biflora var major
Winter veggies: broad beans and chards
Chitting (sprouting) potatoes in a greenhouse
Overwintered leeks
Trachystemon orientalis (see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269)
Trachystemon orientalis (see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=1269)….just a few flowers left
A giant Hippophae sinensis is passed by most visitors to Wisley and is the largest specimen in the UK (Champion Tree) and the only species in the genus (sea buckthorns) that grows into a tree! Impressive!
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