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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
She helped financially with E. H. Wilson's early plant hunting
expeditions to Tibet and Western China. In 1904 Miss Willmott
was among the first women to be elected to Fellowship of the
Linnean Society of London. She was a Trustee of the Royal
Horticultural Society's Gardens at Wisley and served on many
R.H.S. Committees. In 1897 she was awarded the Victoria Medal
of Honour, when it was first instituted, for her contribution to
horticulture.
It is recorded that after her death it took three days to sell
her collection of musical works and botanical books at Sothebys.
Miss Ellen Ann Willmott (1860-1934) was, without doubt, an
outstanding personality. She was intellectual, beautiful, extrava-
gant and eccentric. To me, the most lasting tribute to the memory
of such a remarkable woman is the number of plants which were
named after her. One is constantly reminded of this when look-
ing through gardening books and catalogues.
To come back to the present and to the plants which have
survived the depredations of man and nature for over 30 years.
This is a long time for a large cultivated area to be left un-
attended and it is surprising how many plants have become
naturalised in their bid for survival among the more vigorous
natural weeds. When I lived at Hutton I was able to visit the
gardens regularly at different seasons for a period of seven years.
As the grounds are private this was done with the kind permission
of the owner. My observations over the years confirmed what I
had heard from former gardeners that Warley gardens were at
their best in the Spring. This was also borne out by the number
and variety of flowering plants found at this time of the year.
Miss Willmott was also a daffodil specialist and grew many
kinds in large numbers, but now only a few species of the normal
garden types bloom in large and small patches in many parts of
the grounds and two of the adjoining meadows. Snowdrops are
also common and the Early English Crocus, C. purpureus, grows
in profusion in one meadow and to a lesser extent in another.
These meadows were formerly kept as lawns. Miss Willmott did
much to encourage this crocus by spreading the seed. It is now
firmly established and the thousands of flowers certainly make a
wonderful sight in a perfectly natural setting on a hillside. Even
if this species was introduced by John Evelyn it must surely be
considered wild in Essex now. There are several different species
of crocus in other parts of the gardens, which as yet have not
been identified. There are large patches of Chinadoxa, such as
C. sardensis and luciliae in several places.
There are many species of Anemone in the walled garden and
other places. So far those identified are A. hepatica, A. apennina,
A. ranunculoides and a type of A. blanda with large bluish white
flowers. Eranthis hyemalis has established itself and several
Allium species occur, like A. paradoxum, A. triquetrum, A. ursinum
and others as yet unnamed.