Willmott, Ellen (c. 1859–1934)

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Willmott, Ellen (c. 1859–1934)

British horticulturist. Name variations: Ellen Ann Willmott. Born c. 1859; died 1934.

One of Britain's most famous horticulturists and the Linnean Society's 1st female fellow (1904), created an elaborate, 55-acre garden at Warley Place, Essex (at its peak, it held as many as 100,000 species and required 104 gardeners); nurtured another garden in Italy and another in France; wrote Warley Garden in Spring and Summer (1909) and The Genus Rosa (1910); eventually had to sell possessions to maintain the gardens (1917); died penniless (1934). Received Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour (jointly awarded to Willmott and Gertrude Jekyll, 1897).