Heritage Collection Launch
23rd June 2010
Celebrity gardener Roy Lancaster, officially opened the new Heligan Plant Centre. To mark the occasion the Heligan Nursery launched the new Heritage Collection, which includes plants exclusively available from the Heligan Plant Centre.
The Heritage Collection features Camellias and Rhododendrons from Heligan’s National Collection. These incredibly special and unique plants have been propagated from the Heligan specimens, many of which are over 100 years old.
The rhododendrons are micro-propagated at Duchy College before coming to the Heligan Nursery where they are nurtured to a suitable size for planting out. Ros Smith from the micro-propagation project was also present at the launch, answering peoples questions about the amazing project.
The Miracle of Micro-Propagation
In 2003 the historic National Collection of rhododendrons at The Lost Gardens of Heligan were diagnosed with a highly destructive fungal disease - Sudden Oak Death (SOD). As soon as it was identified Heligan began working with the government body Defra to understand and combat the disease. Defra’s initial demand to remove every last trace of the rhododendrons at Heligan was heard with an outcry of concern and it became clear a plan must be put into action, which would ensure a future for these hugely important horticultural treasures.
Thanks to a unique conservation project, which was brought back to life by initial funding from The Lost Gardens of Heligan in 2004, the precious plant species are now being saved.
The pioneering micro-propagation project run by Duchy College is the only one of its kind with a license from Defra, to propagate from SOD infected plant material. The micro-propagation technique is vital to the preservation of Heligan’s unique and historic specimens as it enables propagation from tiny pieces of plant material and produces many hundreds of genetically identical but completely disease free plants.
With the launch of the new Heritage Collection you can now help us preserve these anicent and unique rhododendron species by planting them in your own gardens. Heritage Collection rhododendrons are available exclusively from the Heligan Plant Centre at £14.50
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