Miss Willmott's Ghosts: the extraordinary life and gardens of a forgotten genius

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a b c "Special Exhibition Label: 'Eccentricity: Unexpected Objects and Irregular Behaviour' (10/5/2011 - 16/10/2011) (MHS Narratives: IRN 15071)". Museum of the History of Science . Retrieved 28 October 2019. 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.

Stuart Thomas, OBE, Graham (1987). A Garden of Roses. London: Pavilion Books Limited. p.160. ISBN 1-85145-059-9. You could, I suppose, buy a plant of Miss Willmott’s ghost, but it makes far more sense to grow it from seed, readily available from many seed companies. Just sow it outdoors in early spring or, better yet, late fall (it needs a bit of a natural cold treatment to sprout well) in a sunny spot and let it do its thing. In year two (or three: in my short-season climate, it tends to act as a triennial), the flowers will go to seed, drop to the ground and take care of planting themselves. Thus, it becomes almost a perennial … but a perennial that pops up here and there, never exactly where you expected it. Giant sea holly is a tall biennial, easy to grow in cooler temperate climates (USDA zones 4 to 7) and able to survive in poor, well-drained, even dry soils where it maintains itself by self-sowing. It can be a tall plant, usually about 1.2m (4 feet) tall, but sometimes 1.8m (6 feet). In my garden, it’s the latter, rising on stiff stems from well above most of the plants around it. The upper part of the plant is silvery blue green and very spiny. Photo: www.whiteflowerfarm.com

Prefers full sun in a light well-drained soil. Will tolerate very light shade. Plant into final position while the plant is young. The roots are often several feet long and do not like to be disturbed. Please have a recap on how to proceed for sowing at this time, including if you wish to provide cold/moist stratification in the fridge:

The seeds can be sown indoors from January to April in trays of seed compost and transplanted to 7.5cm individual pots when big enough to handle. Once acclimatized they can be planted out in the garden where you want them to flower.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. Grow Your Own Miss Willmott’s ghost in the famous White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle, England. Photo: Kendra Wilson, gardenista.com Wallis, Lucy (28 May 2022). "Sabotage and pistols - was Ellen Willmott gardening's 'bad girl'?". BBC News . Retrieved 28 May 2022. Such was her passion for plants and gardening that later in life Miss Willmott managed to spend most of her vast inheritance. Today Warley Place exists as ruins and is run as a reserve by the Essex Wildlife Trust.