Barry Clarke

Urbaflora® Breeder

I am Barry Clarke, once a professional ballet dancer turned horticulturalist and now botanist.

I have been involved in horticulture and gardening for 28 years and started with a small nursery on the Isle of wight, selling exotics. I specialised in Australasian plants and Passiflora. I privately collected Rubus species as a hobby and was awarded the National Plant Collection status in 2004.

I have been on many collection trips around the World, the most significant in China and Taiwan, where I collected many species in collaboration with local botanic gardens. My collection, housed at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Romsey, is now some 260 species strong and includes extremely rare species and one-offs in cultivation.

I have had exhibits at the RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows for over the past 20 years.

My work is ongoing as I look for new species and create new hybrids. I have always thought the genus deserves more credit and wider use as it has so much potential in gardens and cityscapes.