Meconopsis

 

Evelyn became interested in the genus in 1980 and raised Meconopsis betonicifolia from seed. As a result of being unable to identify a sterile hybrid a friend had given her, she named it ‘Jimmy Bayne’. Alongside an increased interest in growing big blue poppies, in 1996 she decided she should describe this cultivar for publication in ‘The Rock Garden’. This led to a Meconopsis workshop, which subsequently led to the formation of the Meconopsis Group in 1998. She was awarded National Plant Collections status in 2002 and Scientific status in 2006. She is the Registrar for the genus and is assisting Christopher Grey-Wilson with his forthcoming monograph on Meconopsis. Evelyn has published in ‘The Rock Garden Journal’, ‘The Plantsman’ and ‘The Alpine Gardener’.

 

Evelyn set up an identification trial in the nursery at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. She is involved with an assessment of synonyms and name worthiness, also seed germination trials.