History has portrayed horticulturalist Ellen Willmott as a rude saboteur - but new evidence suggests otherwise.
She inspired the names of almost 200 plants, but the reputation of 19th Century horticulturalist Ellen Ann Willmott has been tarnished, with rumours that she sabotaged other people's gardens and carried a gun. In Chelsea Flower week, we look at a recent discovery which sheds new light on the gardening great - and her rude behaviour.
"The master of ceremonies kept having to say, 'Lady and gentlemen,' and he found this very embarrassing," says Sandra Lawrence, who has written a new book about the gardener. Ellen Ann Willmott grew up at Warley Place, a house and grounds in Brentwood, Essex. The family were comfortably middle class - but Ellen was a largely self-taught gardener, says Sandra, "because girls didn't get that kind of education". Still, under her influence the gardens at Warley Place became recognised internationally and were visited by the Royal Family.
Ellen made it her ambition to join learned societies where previously only men had been allowed. The Linnean Society, described as "the world's oldest active society devoted to natural history", were blackballing women and Ellen became one of the first to join.
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