John Todd amongst winners at Chiswick House & Gardens competition

Cllr John Todd with Pat Short, Sec of International Camellila Society Committee

Green-fingered local councillor John Todd and his wife Ruth Todd were amongst the winners of an inaugural 'Camellia' Competition' at Chiswick House & Gardens last weekend, as part of their annual Camellia Festival.

Cllr Todd took First Prize in the category Anemone or Peony flowered cultivar one bloom while Ruth Todd came First for Any Rose Form or formal double 3 blooms(seen below). Ruth is a volunteer guide at Chiswick House gardens, and John is a trustee of the CHGT Trust.

Other local residents who won prizes were Jonathan Green and Mary Walker, both volunteers at Chiswick House & Gardens. Jonathan is a 'Goosefoot' volunteer while Mary is a volunteer at the Camellia Festival and the Kitchen Garden.

The list of winners were:

• Semi-Double Flowered cultivar one bloom - Kate Jennick Head Gardener at Middle Temple
• Anemone or Peony flowered cultivar one bloom - Cllr John Todd - Trustee Chiswick House and Gardens Trust
• Any 3, Anemone or Peony flowered cultivars 1 bloom - Kate Jennick, Head Gardener at Middle Temple
• Any Rose Form or formal double 1 bloom - Jonathan Green a local resident who is also a Goosefoot CHGT Volunteer
• Any Rose Form or formal double 3 blooms - Ruth Todd - Who lives locally and is a Garden Guide at Chiswick House and Gardens
• Three of a kind - 3 blooms of any one Camellia Cultivar - Sarah Syburn, Head Gardner at Warwick Square
• Any Camellia bloom less than 2 inches - Mary Walker - a local resident and volunteer at the Camellia Show and Kitchen Garden
• Any 3 Camellia blooms less than 2 inches - Sarah Syburn Head Gardener at Warwick Square

The best bloom across the competition and Winner of the ICS Chiswick House Plate was Sarah Syburn Head Gardener Warwick Square

Everyone who entered received a certificate.

Jonathan Green and Marion Morris with the Estate Gardens Manager Geraldine King

The judges were Herb Short ICS UK Committee Member, Fiona Crumley ICS Member

The prizes were presented by Pat Short Secretary of the ICS UK Committee

The Camellia Competition was so successful that it will now be held on an annual basis, and it is believed to be the only such competition in the UK.

Head Gardener, Geralding King commented: "The competition is a fantastic way to encourage local residents and gardeners to share their blooms and promote Camellias. Well done to all who entered and a massive thank you to Pat and Herb Short and Fiona Crumley for the support that the International Camellia Society provided for the competition"

Mary Walker with her prize

The rare and historic Camellias are located in the Grade 1 listed Conservatory, a gorgeous array of blooms; pink, red, white and striped. The collection consists of 33 different varieties, many of which are descended from the original planting in 1828.

Among them is the unique Middlemist’s red, originally brought from China in 1804 by Londoner John Middlemist, a nurseryman from Shepherd's Bush.

The collection is thought to be the oldest under glass in the Western world and includes rare and historically important examples, many believed to be descended from the original planting in 1828.

The Camellia Festival continues until Sunday 31 March .

March 30, 2019