National Hyacinth Collection

Our Saturday posts focus on updates on the progress of the Heritage seeds we are growing. But on Wednesdays we allow ourselves to go a little wider (until the Administrator tells us otherwise!). A few years ago we went to the March open day at Alan Shipp’s fields near Waterbeach. Alan has grown bulbs for over 40 years and has over 240 varieties of hyacinth, some of which date back to the 1700s. He has therefore become the holder of the National Hyacinth Collection (one of several hundred national collections). It was amazing to see the variations, but also rather overwhelming! If you are in the area, perhaps to visit Denny Abbey, it is worth trying to coincide with an open day.