Plantaholic’s Paradise by Helen Barbour

Brief Bio:

Helen is third generation of Picton’s to run Old Court Nurseries & The Picton Garden in Colwall. Having trained as a Botanist at the University of Reading she has been running the nursery since 2009 with the help of her husband Ross Barbour. Co-Author of the 2014 book ‘The Plant Lovers Guide to Asters’ and author of a number of articles as well, Asters or Michaelmas daisies are very much her speciality but a love of all plants has been key to the continued growth and success of the nursery and garden. The large collection, more than 400 varieties, of snowdrops now plays a key role in the garden and the winter garden aspect has been featured in a number of magazines including January 2024’s issue of The Garden. Tender succulents are also taking an increasingly important role both on the nursery and in the garden.

A little background for the nursery and garden:

Old Court Nurseries was founded in 1906 by Ernest Ballard as the home for his Michaelmas daisy breeding programme. The Picton family became involved in 1947 when Percy Picton joined as nursery manager, later buying the business and continuing Ernest Ballard’s work with his son Paul Picton. Over the years the range of plants expanded including alpines, bulbs, unusual trees and shrubs as well as the ever present Michaelmas daisies. In the early 1980’s Paul married Meriel and together they founded the National Plant Collection of autumn flowering asters and related genre (aka Michaelmas daisies). It was also at this point the garden was laid out to be a feature for visitors as well as stock beds. Helen and Ross are carrying on this important plant heritage and continuing to develop the garden and range of plants that can be found at Old Court Nurseries and the Picton Garden. As of September 2023 Old Court Nurseries also holds a National Collection of Polypodiums, a reflection of the great range of ferns found in the garden.