Five plants that changed Britain's gardens

Palm House — The newly restored palm house at Clumber Park

Many of our best-loved gardens are home to exotic plant collections from around the world.

Brought back to the UK by plant-hunters, these collections have enriched our landscapes and added flavour and colour to our menus.

In the spring edition of the National Trust Magazine, we tracked these early collectors across the world in search of their treasures. Among the exotic specimens brought to our shores, here are five plants that have changed Britain’s gardens and parks.

A view across the lake at Stourhead in autumn — In autumn Stourhead garden is truly spectacular

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

Named for its tulip-like yellow flowers, this tree can grow to over 60m tall in its native eastern USA. It was introduced to England by one of the earliest plant-hunters, John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662).

Admire tulip trees

Glendurgan Garden
Killerton
Mottistone Gardens and Estate
Stourhead

The Giant Redwood Tree at Leith Hill, Surrey — Be bowled over by the magnificent Giant Redwood trees at Leith Hill, Surrey

Giant redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

Cornish plant collector William Lobb is credited with introducing the giant redwood in 1853. Like many collectors, illness from his travels took its toll, and he died alone in San Francisco in 1864.

Walk among giants

Beningborough Hall, Gallery and Gardens
Lanhydrock
Montacute House
Wray Castle

Petals of the Handkerchief Tree — 'Handkerchief tree' (Davidia involucrata) flower bracts in bloom in the gardens at Nymans

Handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata)

Look out for this Chinese species in May, when its white handkerchief-like flower bracts are at their most abundant. As a young botanist, Ernest Wilson was sent to collect it for wealthy clients in 1904.

See the white handkerchiefs

Colby Woodland Garden
Dunham Massey
Dunster Castle Hall
Sheringham Park

Rhododendrons

Joseph Dalton Hooker was the first westerner to explore the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim during the 1840s. The diversity of rhododendron species he discovered led to a frenzy of collecting that became known as rhododendronmania.

Experience the colours

Leith Hill Tower and Countryside
Rowallane Garden
Stoneywell
Trengwainton Garden

A Ribes Sanguienum — The formal gardens at Cragside are bursting with spring colour

Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)

Best known for introducing the Douglas fir, Scottish botanist David Douglas brought more than 200 plants to the UK, including the flowering currant in 1826, with its drooping clusters of pink flowers.