I hold the National Plant Collection for tender Tradescantia cultivars. That means I’m responsible for keeping a living archive of every tropical tradescantia that currently exists in the UK.
One of the duties of being a collection holder is to make the collection available to the public to view. The collection is at my home in Machynlleth, so you need to arrange an appointment to visit – just contact me at hello@tradescantia.uk.
Planning your visit
The collection is held at a small private home and garden. There’s not very much space for large groups! Please don’t bring pets or young children.
Entry is free, although donations are welcome to help fund the collection.
There’s no rain or sun shelter in the garden, so make sure to prepare for the weather on the day if you want to see the outdoor plants.
I’ll give the address and directions when you arrange your visit – it’s very easy to find. It’s in the middle of Machynlleth, which has bus and train connections.
Viewing the collection
The collection contains about 75 different tender Tradescantia cultivars, plus about 30 other species and cultivars from the wider tradescantia family (Commelinaceae).
Half of the collection live in the garden and in the porch/conservatory, growing in 12cm containers of peat-free potting mix. These plants look at their best in the late summer or early autumn, when they’ve had a whole season to grow.
The other half live indoors, growing in larger containers of sphagnum moss. These plants generally look the same all year round!
Buying plants
You can buy fresh (unrooted) cuttings from plants in the collection. Tradescantias are notoriously easy to propagate – fresh cuttings can be stuck straight into a pot of soil and will be fully-rooted and growing within weeks.
If you don’t already have your own supplies you can also buy a pot of soil to plant them in, and I can even help you pot them up straight away.
I can take payment by cash, contactless, and paypal. If you’re hoping to buy a lot of plants, bring boxes or bags to take them away in!
Accessibility
There is step-free access to the garden, and one small step to enter the porch.
The indoor growing room and toilet are up one flight of stairs.
There is usually street parking available close by, but I can’t guarantee it. There aren’t any blue badge parking spaces.
If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch.