Our Plant Guardian® scheme is a vital part of our work to keep rare plants safe for the future
Would you like to get involved in plant conservation but do not have room for a full National Collection? Each Plant Guardian supports the care of one, a few, or many rare plants. Together, they are helping to protect nearly 3,000 plants, from houseplants to shrubs. You may already have a rare plant you'd like to register with the scheme. If not, we can help you find one.
Francoa sonchifolia 'Doctor Tom Smith'
Eligible plants
You may already have a suitable plant in your garden or on your windowsill. Alternatively, you might be able to obtain one from friends or family, your local Plant Heritage group, or through our Plant Exchange. Even if you do not think your plant is rare, it might be at risk for a number of reasons. It may also be wanted by a National Collection holder (we keep a 'Wish List').
Our baseline for assessing plants for inclusion in the scheme is that there are less than two known suppliers. We use the RHS Find A Plant listings alongside a general online search to assess this availability.
Record your plant with us and our experts will check its status.
Roz Cooper
Durham-based gardener and 2022 Threatened Plant of the Year winner, passionate about plants and their stories
David Simpson
Retired sales and marketing director for a national house builder, inveterate compost maker and plant propagator
Claire Davitt
Community Horticultural Specialist based at RHS Wisley, keen fund raiser and propagator for Plant Heritage
How Plant Guardians make a difference
More than half of the cultivated plants once grown in the UK and Ireland are no longer available for sale. That means it is up to all of us to keep these plants in cultivation by growing, propagating and sharing them. Otherwise, they could disappear from our gardens forever.
By registering your rare plant with our Plant Guardian scheme, you'll help us keep track of where these plants are being grown. If someone is searching for a plant you grow, we can let you know. Your registration also supports our research and the wider Threatened Plants Programme.
We encourage all our Plant Guardians to propagate and share their plants, whether with friends and fellow gardeners or through our free annual Plant Exchange. With your permission, we may also feature your Plant Guardian plants on our blog and website to help raise awareness and connect growers.
Potentilla 'Velours Pourpre'
V Lloyd-Owen
Persephone
Plant Guardians can add information and pictures about their plants to the Persephone plant records system, or we can do this for you. This helps build a picture of how these plants perform across the country and may be used on the main plant search page.
Watch the short video to see how easy it is.