Springfields Festival Gardens Unveils Green Plaques for National Plant Collection

Springfields Festival Gardens is proud to announce the acquisition of green plaques recognising its Plant Heritage National Plant Collection status. The plaques will be unveiled on 25th March 2026, a special year for Springfields Horticultural Society Ltd (registered Charity No. 253736) marking the 60th anniversary of the Charity. 

The Unveiling Ceremony 

The ceremony will be led by Andy Boyton, Garden Curator and Plant Specialist and Adrian Jansen, Chair of Trustees of Springfields Horticultural Society. Plaques will be displayed outside the Garden Office and beside the National Collection itself. 

The Importance of Plant Heritage Status 

Plant Heritage is the leading charity for the conservation of garden plants and the home of the National Plant Collections scheme. This is a unique and valuable living library, protecting 100,000 plants for future generations including rare and historically significant plant varieties. Those who hold a National Collection are awarded a green plaque as a visible symbol of their commitment.  The new green plaque at Springfields will shine a spotlight on this important Collection of Narcissus — a collection that is uniquely important in British horticulture. 

A Collection Rooted in History 

The Narcissus collection held at Springfields Festival Gardens comprises commercial old varieties of daffodils with a long and rich history. Many varieties were introduced from scientific breeding programmes at the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, Rosewarne Experimental Horticultural  

Station, and Warwick Horticulture Research International — institutions that shaped the commercial daffodil industry. Their preservation at Springfields Festival Gardens ensures this important chapter of horticultural history is not lost. 

The collection first arrived at Springfields Festival Gardens in 2009 and was formally designated as  a National Collection in 2017. The flowering season runs from March through to late April, depending on the season, offering visitors weeks of spectacular colour. The collection includes many varieties, one of which is the ‘Sir Winston Churchill,’ a late flowering double-daffodil which was found, by chance, among Geraniums being grown by Harold Holmes at his nursery in Cowbit, near Spalding, Lincolnshire. Like the Springfields Horticultural Society, the Winston Churchill daffodil was first registered in 1966. Please visit the gardens website for more information on the Gardens. www.springfieldsfestivalgardens.org.uk 

Annual Daffodil Show 

The Springfields Horticultural Society’s Annual Daffodil and Spring Flower Show will take place in the gardens on Saturday 11th April. Entrants are invited – please see our website. Once judging is complete, the show will open to the public for viewing free of charge.