National Collections and Threatened Plants work recognised in new government report

“Plant Heritage’s National Plant Collections contain, among other internationally significant socio-economically and culturally valuable resource, 2,395 taxa in seven Annex 1 genera across 14 locations (Plant Heritage 2018). In the past year these increased by 512 taxa at three locations newly registered within the scheme. Unpublished data (2011-2018) held within Plant Heritage’s Threatened Plants Project (Seymour 2012) …

Reading at Reading

Thank you MSc Plant Diversity at Reading, Global Plant Biodiversity and Conservation module, for giving UK & Irish threatened garden cultivars a hearing on Friday. These snaps are from our late morning session, investigating Fuchsia cultivars threatened in cultivation – starting with Reading Herbarium specimens, of course. Hello @RNGherb ! And what were we reading? …

First Threatened list!

We are very excited to publish our first A-Z draft list of Threatened plants. We are now looking to gather information on every cultivar listed, to determine its Plant Heritage Value – is it worth conserving? And meanwhile, keep growing them – hello to all our new Plant Guardians. The Threatened Plants Project has been …

Woo hoo for Wisley

As The Onion might headline it, 'Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden grows more plants than other gardens'. The truth is that RHS Garden, Wisley has by far and away the most variety for anyone to see - not just the easiest or newest, but really showing you what different cultivated plants can do. They were …

Changing times

It's been a great year for the TPP, with your help - every Plant Heritage member and every volunteer. We are going to continue the good work (keep those listings coming), but I will be on maternity leave until next year. "TPP Sophie", Sophie Leguil, will be covering for me: you can reach her on …

Plumpton helps out

As the Threatened Plants Project lists and looks for all the rare cultivars in the land, we are so grateful to all the volunteers who are helping. Plant Heritage members in 17 Groups are now listing tens of thousands of cultivars in hundreds of different genera, and Collection Holders are already saving half of all …

Bonnie Scotland – land of the bergenia, begonia and Botanics

Plant Heritage covers an extensive geographical area, and the 58 Scottish Collections particularly are spread over a huge country, so that even within a “local” Group one can travel for three hours to see a Collection. While England was having a Bank Holiday weekend, I travelled up to this year’s All-Scotland Groups meeting. Hosted by …

Held in Trust

Dipping down to deepest Devon for the day, I was proud to represent Plant Heritage at the official opening of the National Trust’s new Plant Conservation Centre, a hospital, nursery, bank, research and education provider – as we were told – all in one! Guests from Kew, the RHS, Millennium Seed Bank and Head Gardeners …

Red Labels on Boxing Day

Not a strong drink, but a definite exchange of goodwill – this year with a twist, as the Threatened Plants Project met the Plant Exchange. Threatened Plants? Fifty-six different genera of lovely garden plants have now been analysed (see full list being done) by member volunteers and the full-time Coordinator (funded by the Esmée Fairbairn …