James Miller will share his experience of creating the new Astilbe Arends cvs. (bred by Georg Arends) National Collection at RHS Wisley Garden. He will illustrate the project with photographs of the collections and companion planting and will show the process - from the seeds of an idea to gaining full status - in just over three years. He will cover the application process and the joys and challenges of curating the collection.

James has a BSc Hons in Horticulture and is currently the Plant Propagator for Wildlife (Gibraltar) at Gibraltar Botanical Gardens. Prior to this, he was Horticulturist (Horticultural Award) in the RHS Wisley Alpine Team.

He has a special interest in bulbs, orchids and has looked after two National Plant Collections. Prior to Wisley he worked at the prestigious Longwood Gardens in the USA, where he was an International Trainee, at an Orchid Conservation Centre in Panama and as Curatorial Intern at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

James plans to study for his Masters at the University of Sheffield from September 2021.

Follow James on Instagram

James’ website/blog: My Wardian Case

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