Polly Nicholson Bio
Specialist flower grower and tulip expert, Polly Nicholson is the owner of Bayntun Flowers in Wiltshire – growers of organic flowers cultivated in walled gardens and a one-acre field at the foot of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. Nicholson holds the National Collection of Tulipa (Historic) with Plant Heritage, and has been featured on BBC Gardener’s World, Radio 4, in Gardens Illustrated, Country Life, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The World of Interiors, and House & Garden. Learn more about Polly through her book The Tulip Garden, her Instagram @bayntunflowers, and website Bayntun Flowers.
Show Notes
Polly's passion for plants started in early childhood with exploring and gathering the wild around Bath, England
Interest in medieval art and architecture influenced love for old design helped her find florilegia and herbals
Her first job at Sotheby's as an antiquarian book specialist where she discovered tulips through early botanical books
Discussing historic tulips from floral motifs that are still grown today and their significance
Polly's collection includes Tulipa ‘Duc van Tol’ that dates back to 1595
Polly holds National Collection of Tulipa (Historic) with Plant Heritage
The history and benefits of the resilience and natural beauty of species tulips
Favorites species tulips include Tulipa clusiana 'Peppermint Stick,' Tulip orphanidea (Whittallii Group), and Tulipa sylvestris
Overcoming challenges of growing tulips in wet soil by planting them in containers and gravel
A fun story about Tulipa turkestanica
Arne Maynard article on historic tulips photographed by Andrew Montgomery, the photographer of Polly’s book
Inspiration for writing The Tulip Garden book
For Polly, writing a book commits the knowledge to paper, establishes the author as an authority, and allows the writer to delve into a topic deeper
The importance of preserving old tulip varieties and telling their story
Polly’s unique selling point (USP) of old tulip varieties
Highlighting the beauty of photographs and using natural materials in her garden
Polly’s tortoises and the story of Ottoman Emperor Ahmed III and tulip feasts where he had mirrors and tortoises with candles on their back to light the tulips up at night
The story of the late flowering Tulipa aximensis from Aime, France saved from a housing development
Learning objectives from a masterclass on tulips include no chemical inputs and hand irrigating to be able to watch for issues
Describing Bayntun Flowers, Polly’s small, organic flower farm
Advice from Bayntun Flowers including the importance of feeding soil with organic matter, keeping soil covered with crops or mulch, having a four-year tulip rotation to prevent pathogens
How to rotate tulips by digging them up and drying tulips for reuse
Propagating tulips by pulling the offshoots off the main bulb
The environmental benefits of reusing tulip bulbs
How to store tulips once they are dried
The story of Tulipmania in the 1630s Netherlands
How viruses caused tulip bulbs to break in color
A discussion on tulips still growing with the virus
Practices that help like like the importance of routines in gardening, including ordering bulbs late
Polly’s practice of adhering to organic principles in gardening, avoiding chemical applications, and using alternatives like smothering and MyPex
Challenges Polly is facing including climate change resulting in long, warm, and wet winters and post-Brexit challenges include difficulties in garden help and importing horticultural goods.
Polly recommends The Tulip by Anna Pavord for tulip enthusiasts and A Flower Garden for Pollinators by Rachel de Thame
Polly's garden at Bayntun Flowers is entirely planted for pollinators, like British black bees that Polly keeps
Polly debunks the myth that tulips are only for one season and advocates for recycling tulips
Species tulips are recommended for their perennial nature and ease of maintenance
For gardeners in warmer climates, Polly suggests digging tulips after they start going dormant, let tulips dry out, and replant in cooler months
Polly discusses proper storage for tulip bulbs to prevent dampness
A discussion on using containers and coolers for vernalization in regions with insufficient cold periods.
Polly is planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan to see tulips in the wild and learn from other gardens.
How to cultivate more horticulturists by sharing gardens and joining horticultural societies to propagate interest in gardening like Plant Heritage and the RHS.
Learn more about Polly through her book The Tulip Garden, her Instagram @bayntunflowers, and website Bayntun Flowers.