Henry McBeath

2019/20 GCA Interchange Fellow on placement from the UK to the USA – Henry’s Fellowship was unfortunately cut short due to the pandemic

Autumn/winter: Longwood Gardens

I began my fellowship with a two-month rotation in Longwood's conservatories, spending much of my time working in the lily ponds with the famous Victoria 'Longwood Hybrid', a magnificent aquatic developed by Patrick Nutt, Longwood's former aquatic horticulturist. Besides this was the opportunity to take part in the constantly changing displays of the Chrysanthemum Festival, planting, training 'mum' Bonsai and much more. Also, something I found very interesting was helping to maintain the extensive orchid collection numbering almost 6,000 individual plants, each meticulously labelled and accessioned. It was an exciting time for the conservatory and will only continue to be so as we progress through Christmas.

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