Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Maggi Young on April 01, 2025, 06:38:48 PM
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Neil Huntley of Hartside Nursery Garden has heard from his brother (Emeritus Professor Brian Huntley MA PhD) who was a colleague of Brian Whitton, Emeritus Professor at Durham University, of his passing.
"Brian sent me an email saying, "I have this afternoon (yesterday) received the sad news that Brian Whitton died in his sleep last night. He had apparently been suffering from pneumonia, but had refused to be hospitalised. Indeed, he had just yesterday afternoon been entertaining visitors to one of his Corydalis open days, something that I know he very much enjoyed doing.”
Brian Whitton held a National Collection of Corydalis and was well known by many members in the North East, especially when he opened his garden for visits to view his collection. He was always very generous spreading his collection around.
Regards, Neil Huntley."
National Collection Holder Professor Brian Whitton was an expert on Corydalis who has shared some photos of his plants here in the forum and has travelled to China to see this delicate plant growing wild. His Durham garden showcased many species and cultivars.
Prof. Whitton was a valued member of the SRGC and was always keens to share knowledge of his favourite Corydalis. He will surely be missed.
Brian Whitton with some of his Corydalis collection.
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This is such sad news. Brian was one of my favourite botany lecturers when I was an undergraduate at Durham and I was delighted to discover he was an SRGC member when I met him years later at a Discussion Weekend. He has recently given two inspirational talks to the Scottish Borders Rock Garden Group about his National Collection of Corydalis and was generous with the plants and seeds he brought along with him to the meetings. Sadly we never made it to one of his open days, a matter of great regret to me.