Meconopsis National Plant Collection

Tinnisburn Plants is home to a National Plant Collection of Meconopsis (George Sherriff Group & related M. gakyidiana).

This important group of Meconopsis are believed to be descended from plants collected in Tibet and Bhutan by Ludlow and Sherriff in the 1930's and 1940's.  The George Sherriff Group is now generally considered to consist of sterile plants and there are a number of cultivars; some very similar in appearance, others distinctly different all of which can be seen growing in a woodland setting.

Peak flowering time is from mid-May to June when visitors can expect to see a wide range of cultivars and species of Meconopsis in flower.

Helen has many years of experience of growing these wonderful plants and can advise you on how to successfully grow them in your own garden.  There is also a wealth of information on The Meconopsis Group website. 

The Meconopsis Group were awarded a Gold medal for their display at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Helen was part of the team that put the display together which featured one of the plants from the National Collection, Meconopsis 'Huntfield'.

We also hold a National Plant Collection of Scilla (Chionodoxa).

Meconopsis 'Huntfield'

National Plant Collections

Diversity of species is as vital in the plant world as it is in the animal kingdom. To help preserve this, the charity Plant Heritage works to ensure the genetic heritage in our gardens is maintained.

One way they do this is by certifying National Plant Collections, registered and documented collections of plants. Today there are over 700 such collections in the UK and we are proud to host two of them. 

If you'd like to know more about our plant collection, please contact us. Email helen@tinnisburn.co.uk or follow us on Facebook.