How to keep a plant
I was recently speaking to Pat who reminded me: “if you want to keep a plant - give it away”.
This week I have been researching for the March Offshoot episode. It’s going to be part of a mini series following the story of the Plant Heritage Missing Collector garden at this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show. I wanted to find out more about the Plant Guardian scheme run by the charity. Who can become a guardian and a guardian of what exactly. Of course as soon as you start to research these things you find more plant stories; an 88 year old gardener who has worked in the same garden for over 70 years, a gooseberry industry in the North West.
But I digress back to the Plant Guardians.
Pelargonium ‘Broxwood v1’
I was speaking to Pat, to Richard and to Sam because they have been for many years or are hoping to become, Plant Guardians, looking after rare or threatened plants. Pat has been a Plant Guardian for many years, now in her 80’s she doesn’t wish to have a National Collection but she does enjoy looking after a plant, a kind of insurance policy in case someone needs it back because “if you want to keep a plant - give it away.” She cares for and propagates it and admits you do feel quite responsible but “if it dies it dies - you’ve done your best”.
Richard sees being a plant guardian as a way to “share plants and keep them safe.” Though he started off this way he moved onto become a National Collection holder, with a National Collection of Penstemon (pre 1998).
And then there’s Sam, she’s always been interested in plants but really got into it, like many, during covid. She is currently studying for her RHS Level 2 and is hoping to become a Plant Guardian this year. You’ll hear Sam in the March Offshoot and maybe again because of those gooseberries!
Members of Plant Heritage are currently poring over the list of ‘offers’ and ‘wants’ in what is the annual free plant swap which gives all members of the charity access to rare and unusual plants. They’ve got to the 28th February to make their bids. And how do those plants all move around the country to new homes - well it happens at the members day. Last year I went to my first members day which was held at Thenford. (Yes home to a National Collection of Snowdrops and do click here if you want to hear an episode from February 2025, with the wonderful Emma Thick, a ‘snowdrop shepherd’.) Last June, when I arrived at the members day, there were cars appearing all over the carpark, revealing boots full of well packed plants; the drivers then carrying the precious cargo to a central collection point. And then at the end the day, the plants all headed off again to new owners and homes all over the country. In 2025 nearly 1000 plants were swapped.
And the photograph above - well that relates to the 88 year old gardener I mentioned and I was given the pelargonium to look after at the end of the members day last year as the final plants were being re-homed. Hopefully more anon.
In other news the first episode of Season 4 went out this week - Searching for Miriam. If you haven’t yet had the chance to catch up on it - here is a link. Thanks to all of you who have shared it with friends. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Sam could find Clematis ‘Miriam Markham’. He has got some new leads in Eastern Europe and I am in touch with someone who is going to feature it on the New Zealand Gardens Trust website…so we’re looking.
I also have a request. I wonder if you could keep an eye out for Buddleja davidii, also known as the Butterfly Bush, it’s the one you see out of train windows or spot clinging to brickwork or emerging out of roof tiles. I’d really love to build up a bit of a collection of photographs of this plant for an upcoming episode. So if you see it - could you take a quick photo on your phone and send it to me, just letting me know where you found it! sally@ourplantstories.com
Have a lovely weekend
Sally
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