"I am always interested as why some things are named after specific people, I clearly have an enquiring mind!, so this one was no exception, and as the surname of BOWRING appears in my family tree I simply "had" to record it.
Brunnera macrophylla 'Betty Bowring' is a superb white flowered brunnera. The white flowers emerge in early spring and grow taller as the leaves come up. Then the dark green heart shaped leaves form superb groundcover in summer. The height is about 18 inches.
But who was Betty Bowing & why?"
Today I received an email from the daughter of Betty Bowring, how wonderful is that? Here is what she said:
"This plant first appeared in my garden it seeded itself from the blue Brunnera - not sure of this name - and was given to my mum who passed it on as gardeners do and it went to someone who said it was a new one to them. It was taken to Covent Garden where it didn't have a name so it was traced back to my mum and it was decided to call it after her."
So, the Betty Bowring was actually named in the 20th Century and by a strange coincidence, there is a further, somewhat interesting link to the surname of IRONSIDE which also appears in my family history.
I never ceased to be astounded at the power of the internet - it is truly wonderful!
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