History
camellias
Tradition has it that the two camellias were planted when the greenhouse was built, around 1830. There is no way of proving this. The International Camellia Society has, however, identified the varieties. Their findings are attached. The white camellia, alba plena, is a relatively common and, with its perfectly round flower, a consistently popular strain. It began to be imported in the 1790s. The red camellia, chandler's elegans, is much rarer and was first commercially available form Chandler's Nursey in Vauxhall, London, in about 1830.
Camellias have pride of place amongst his recommendations in Loudon's Greenhouse Companion of 1824. Although they do not need the protection, they still flourish under glass and their flowering "off season" in February and March made them perennial favourites amongst "hothousers". London nurseries competed .itterly with each other to find new varieties in the Far East, which they could bring back and market exclusively.
The variety of grape produced by the large vine has not been identified.
