Vanishing plants
The central display in the Plant Heritage Marquee is entitled The Vanishing Garden, after a book of the same name by Chris Brickell and Fay Sharman, which was the first conservation guide to garden plants.
Matt Biggs, garden writer and panellist of Radio 4 ‘Garden Question Time’, is the creator of this thought-provoking display.
In the guide's introduction it says ‘the purpose of this book is to draw attention to the serious threat facing our cultivated plants. It is a threat to their very survival. Just as their relatives in the wild are rapidly diminishing in number, so too the ranks of our finest garden plants are thinning’.
The design portrays four valuable groups of plants that are being saved by collection holders – medicinal, historic, biodiversity and those that would survive climate change – floating down a river of grass towards the bottomless black hole of extinction, a fate that would befall thousands of garden cultivars and species, if they were not conserved by Plant Heritage enthusiasts.
Many of the plants in the groups, like Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnet’, (Echinacea is used medicinally to stimulate the immune system) will be readily recognised by visitors, it is a reminder that even familiar garden plants need conserving - many extinct and rare varieties were once widely planted, too.
Other 'must-see' attractions
The Plant Heritage Collection Holders are mines of information about their plants – many of them are international authorities in their field, who love to share their specialist cultivation knowledge and they will be giving practical demonstrations throughout the week. Here's just a sample
- The plant propagation sessions led by expert, Barry Clarke, (National Collection Holder of Asclepias) will be a ‘must-see’ for thrifty gardeners.
- For those with an interest in architectural effects, Russell Coates of Langley Boxwood will be showing visitors how to clip their box into amazing spirals.
- Jane Hepburn (National Collection Holder of Scots roses) will be demystifying rose pruning.
Seed Shop returns
The Seed Shop - sponsored by Vital Earth, manufacturers of peat free compost - will be open again, with seeds donated by Plant Heritage’s supporters. It’s an opportunity to bag a bargain – and perhaps raise a very uncommon plant in your garden.