Rare iris tracked down for charity auction at Welshampton Plant Fair

Detective work by the co-ordinator of a popular annual charity plant fair in a North Shropshire village has tracked down a rare iris for the auction at this year’s event on May Day Bank Holiday Monday, May 2.

Gill Eleftheriou, from Welshampton Plant Fair, was keen to include Iris ‘Ellesmere’ (siberian) in the auction of ‘Special Plants’ at the event but thought she had missed a golden opportunity.

She takes up the story: “Iris ‘Ellesmere’ (siberian) first captured my imagination a few years ago when I happened to spot it in a list of plants named in honour of Shropshire people and places. The list had been put together by Peter Boyd and published in a 1999 National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) Shropshire newsletter. But it gave no description, so I had no idea what it might look like.

“A couple of years ago, I recollected the plant, thinking that it would make a wonderful lot in our ‘Special Plants’ auction. By this time, the Shropshire National Collection had been dispersed, so that link was no longer available. So I searched elsewhere, assuming that it would be relatively easy to find. How wrong I was.

“Having hunted high and low for this plant, rom the West Country to the Lake District and Scotland and asked well-connected plantsmen for any leads without success, I finally located one in the current National Collection held by Alun and Jill Whitehead at Aulden Farm Nursery in Herefordshire, via the NCCPG website.

“Their stock plant was too small to split last year, but this year I’m thrilled that Alun has most generously donated a large division from his National Collection for this year’s auction. If you miss this one, you’ll need to go onto Alun’s waiting list while he bulks up his plant. It’s now as rare as hen’s teeth!

“It is truly striking, a vivid royal blue with contrasting deep red spathes (flower bracts) beneath the flower.”

Bidders will have a chance to buy the rare iris at lot 40 in the auction, which will be conducted by Andrew Beeston, senior fine art auctioneer and valuer at Halls in Shrewsbury, one of the plant fair’s main sponsors.

The event opens at noon and the ‘Special Plants’ auction is at 1.15pm. Accompanying stalls include home-made cakes, preserves and one for gardeners and there will also be a grand draw and delicious refreshments.

Proceeds from the event, held at Welshampton Parish Hall, will be divided between Shropshire Macmillan Cancer Support and St Michael and All Angels Church, Welshampton.

Last year’s 10th anniversary event raised a record £10,024, taking the figure raised for charity by the big-hearted villagers to £50,000.

Joining the ‘Ellesmere’ (siberian) iris will be a very select number of plants donated by top plants people in the area, including garden owners, specialist nurseries and National Collection holders. “We are indebted to all for their generosity, giving us this opportunity to offer a unique selection of specimen plants,” added Gill

Other lots of particular interest include ‘Wellington's Oak’, an oak sapling propagated from an acorn off a tree that was originally planted in the grounds at Combermere Abbey by the Duke of Wellington in 1820, when he visited to stand as godfather to Baron Combermere’s son.

Lot 13 is Malmaison carnation 'Duchess of Westminster', which has been specially propagated for the auction at Eaton Hall Gardens and donated by the Duchess of Westminster. Lot 19 is Styrax obassia, which has been donated from the outstanding gardens at Hodnet Hall, where it was home-grown by head gardener Ross Underwood.

Lot 20 is a tribute to plantswoman Lady Cholmondeley, who died last November and was a generous supporter of the plant fair since its inception in 2010. Head gardener at Cholmondeley, Barry Grain will select an appropriate specimen plant for this year’s auction.

Lot 30 comprises male and female Schisandra grandiflora ‘Lahlu’ and ‘Janu’ from Crûg Farm Nursery, near Caernarfon, lots 37 and 38 are unusual Salvias from Wollerton Old Hall, Wollerton, Market Drayton, lot 46 is an American Pecan tree from the private gardens of noted plantsman Lord Kenyon of Gredington and three rare Hyrdangeas have been donated by plantsmen Joe and Wendy Sime of Penley.

More details about the event are available online at www.welshamptonplantgair.co.uk.