John Weagle has forwarded this sad notice from the Rhododendron, Camellia & Magnolia Group:
"It is with great sadness that I have to report the sudden death of Tony Schilling VMH.
Tony's name will forever be linked with rhododendrons and the other members of the Ericaceae which he continued to grow in his wonderful garden in Inverness-shire.
A man of the mountains, Tony was one of the last great intrepid plant hunters and he carried his love for Nepal in particular into his charitable support for the Gurkha causes.
Living through the Great Storm, taking in its emotional aftermath in his stride and then masterminding the restoration of Wakehurst as its Curator must rank as one of the epic achievements of his career.
Above all he was a great plantsman, able to recognise something special in the wild and introduce it to cultivation for all of us to enjoy.
Many of us are already 'growing' him in our own gardens in the form of Rhododendron arboreum 'Tony Schilling' FCC and a good number 'grow' his children Tara and Stephen as splendid hedychiums.
We think of them all today and send our condolences."
Such unfortunate news - we send condolences to Tony's friends and family.
In 2019 Tony, a former Curator of Wakehurst Place ( RBG) , was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Government of Nepal’s Department of Plant Resources (Ministry of Forests and Environment) during the celebration of their 59th anniversary and 20th Plant Resources Day.
