What is a Purdom?
The Purdom bench
It’s podcast release day! The second of this new series and I love the days when I release an episode. You record and listen, then edit and listen and edit a bit more and then this is the point when it heads off on its own journey. It was so lovely to meet Vicky Aspin. I think the wonderful thing about radio/podcasts is that you can hear when someone is passionate about a subject and I hope you will agree that Vicky is that and is a wonderful storyteller. Take a look at the episode page to see all the photographs.
"What is a Purdom?” By Vicky Aspin’s own admission this was her first reaction to being sent to the Purdom bed in Holehird gardens. Then her curiosity was aroused by a name plaque on a bench: For Three Native Lakeland Gardeners, William Purdom and sons William and Harry and from that her hunt began...who was William Purdom?
Her searches before the era of the internet, first led her to write a book: A Perfect Friend - the life of a Cumbrian Plant Hunter William Purdom by O.V. Presant. They then led her to China and the Purdom Memorial Forest Park and you can hear the story of her search and Purdom's life in this Offshoot episode recorded on a sunny Autumn day, sitting on the Purdom bench in Holehird Gardens in Cumbria.
If you want to hear more about Purdom’s connections to Cumbria and specifically the Hough family at White Craggs do listen to the Plant Story: Penn’s Viburnum. You can also read Penn Allen’s fascinating book based on the diaries of her Great Grandmother Alice Hough. The Lost Garden of Loughrigg is a story of love and loss and a garden built with hard work and firm friendship.
The link to both episodes is Viburnum farreri and William Purdom who bought the plant back from his first trip to China and it was propagated and grown at White Craggs in the garden of his close friend Dr Harry Hough. It now grows in Holehird Gardens which are looked after by the volunteers, like Vicky and Alan Oatway, of the Lakeland Horticultural society. However the name of the plant relates to Purdom’s second expedition to China in the company of Reginald Farrer.
Why is it called Viburnum farreri?
Vicky: ‘The Viburnum is now known as Viburnum farreri which I think is a total mis-justice. Simply because I think botanically it's the way things go. But Purdom collected two Viburnum when he was out on his first expedition to China. 689 and 690 I think they were and he bought them back and they were propagated… it grew beautifully, flowered but the source of the propagation material was from a monastery garden therefore it was not collected in the wild. And so when he traveled out with Farrer he said, yes, I will find you Viburnum fragrans growing in the wild, which he did. And it came back and it grew and was propagated. And at some stage, it was decided that as Farrer had bought back the propagation material or sent back the propagation it would be right and proper to call it Farreri as opposed to Purdom though he was the man that showed him where to get it.’
This Plant Story began with Penn Allen’s plant memory and I love that this Viburnum brought to the UK by William Purdom, now grows in Penn’s garden and is currently, as I write in January 2024, in bloom and apparently smelling wonderful - if only we could share that too. In her book The Lost Garden of Loughrigg, Penn writes:
Since I first put pen to paper, I have felt with all my heart that the story is too important to be lost and that though the house and garden no longer exist as they did then and the people have long since departed, the mark they made upon the landscape should not be forgotten.”
I think Penn and Vicky have told this story beautifully both in books and podcast, ensuring that all those who were a part of it - will not be forgotten.
Have a lovely week and thank you as always for listening.
Sally