The UK's history of collecting, breeding and growing plants means we have a treasure chest in our gardens
We are a nation of gardeners and plant lovers. There are lots of organisations focused on the conservation of wild plants. Plant Heritage is unique in focusing on the conservation of cultivated plants (sometimes called garden plants although they can also be food, trees and houseplants).
Through our flagship conservation schemes - the National Plant Collections and the Plant Guardians - we are safeguarding nearly 100,000 different plants, so we can all enjoy them and benefit from them today and in the future. This living library is a great resource for gardeners, garden designers, historians, botanists and researchers alike. It includes rare and unusual plants that are no longer for sale and some plants that are now extinct in the wild.
Why conserve cultivated plants?
Nobody knows exactly how many different plants are growing in the UK but we know it is a lot. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has estimated around 308,000 different cultivated plants and around 73,000 species (RHS State of Gardening Report 2025). Most nurseries and garden centres stock a limited range, and what is popular changes over time.
Each plant has a unique genetic code making it impossible to replace if lost. This is why Plant Heritage was founded: to combine the passion of amateur gardeners with the expertise and experience of professional plantsmen and women and horticultural organisations. Our core ethos is that anyone can make a difference, doing what they love.
Today, our work is more important than ever, because of the increasing risks from climate change and the nature crisis, as well as new pests and diseases. Plants are a valuable historical and future resource, whether for their beauty, or having edible, medicinal or other useful properties. Protecting a diverse range of plants is good for biodiversity and increases our resilience to future shocks, like extreme weather.
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Delphinium Collection at Temple Newsam, Leeds City Council
Cercidiphyllum collection, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Our living library of plants
Plants are essential for all life on earth. Cultivated plants have been bred for particular characteristics, from beauty to crop yield and are valuable for many reasons.
Reference
The National Plant Collections are a living library where all the plants in a group can be seen together, compared and researched. Our National Collection holders can become the expert on a plant group, providing advice and inspiration to others. Some have been awarded scientific status to recognise the standard they have reached, including published research.
History
The UK's plants are as much a part of our shared history as stately homes or priceless objects. They feature in stories, legends, works of art and songs, providing a living link to previous generations and different cultures. National Plant Collections recognise the value of this history and help to preserve it.
Horticulture
From cottage gardens and allotments to parks and grand estates, plants are at the centre of our green spaces. Plants go in and out of fashion, and we are regularly contacted by people searching for a much-loved plant that they remember from their childhood, or spotted in a friend's garden but cannot find for sale anywhere. By growing and sharing such a wide range of plants, our members are keeping the skills and knowledge to cultivate these plants alive too.
Future Resource
We’re not all about the past though - there are constantly new developments in plant breeding and the best of these will enrich our gardens and National Collections for years to come.
GENETIC DIVERSITY WITHIN POPULATIONS OF WILD AND DOMESTICATED SPECIES, IS MAINTAINED
Global context
The world of plant conservation is constantly changing and Plant Heritage has a role in supporting this in order to ensure resilience to environmental and societal change.
We were founded under the principle that we should '…conserve the unique gene pool of accumulated variation from centuries of selection and breeding, a resource of great economic potential and heritage value.' (Brickell, 1977).
This need has been strengthened through the Convention on Biological Diversity 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets as one of its long term goals that ‘genetic diversity within populations of wild and domesticated species, is maintained’, with a target by 2030 ‘to maintain and restore the genetic diversity within and between populations of native, wild and domesticated species to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in situ and ex situ conservation’.
National Plant Collections are a great example of ex situ conservation, which are contributing to global efforts to halt biodiversity loss.
Our partners
