Missing Collector Garden Part 2

Volunteers are at the heart of the conservation work of the charity Plant Heritage. There are National Collection holders, Collection Coordinators, Plant Guardians and those who run local groups all over the country.

In Episode 2 of this mini Offshoot series we meet some of those volunteers.

The Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden

Above is the Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden being built at the RHS Chelsea flower show this year. Sponsored by Project Giving Back it is the first time that the charity has had a show garden, though they have had a presence in the marquee for many years. The show garden is a real chance for the charity to talk about the plant collections and those plants that still need a collector.

The garden will feature many plants from existing collection holders including the National Collections of Polypodium and Polystichum, of Geum and Mini Hostas to name just a few.

Another of the collections is Thalictrums held by Nicholas Guntrip- Hook

Recording with Nick and his thalictrums in the rain!

Nick has delivered his show plants to the designers and they are now being grown on at How Green Nursery, in preparation for their journey to Chelsea.

Nick emphasized in the episode how important his Collection Coordinator is and Chris Bennett, who runs his own business Hatton Garden Care explains how he goes about working with the National Collection holders in his area.

If you don’t think you are quite ready for a National Collection yet, then members of the charity can become Plant Guardians and Samantha Turner is now looking after the ranunculus pictured below. You can find out a lot more about what it means to be a Plant Guardian in this episode.

Below from left: Chris Bennett Collections Coordinator for Warwickshire, Samantha Turner Plant Guardian for the next picture Ranunculus repens ‘Timothy Clark’ and finally Nick’s thalictrums one month on from my visit in February.

Nick’s Thalicatrum Recommendations

Thalictrum Delavayi ‘Splendide’

Thalictrum ‘Little Pinkie’

Thalictrum ‘Chantilly Lace’

Thalictrum ‘Nimbus Pink’ or ‘Nimbus White’

Update from the designers of The Missing Collector Garden

If you haven’t listened to the Offshoot episode 1 where we met the 3 designers, Sally Ann-Rees, Kate Campbell and William Murray, who together make up the Planting Design Collective then do listen here. I think it can inspire all of us to ‘seize the moment’ in life.

Sally-Anne this week shared a progress report on the garden.