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? Our Plant Guardians look after just one or a few rare plants. Together, they are protecting nearly 3,000 plants from house plants to shrubs. Perhaps you already have a rare plant that you would like to register in the scheme. If not, we can help you source one.
How do Plant Guardians keep rare plants from being lost?
More than half the cultivated plants grown in the UK and Ireland in the past are no longer for sale. This means it is up to all of us to keep growing and sharing them, or they might disappear forever.
By recording your rare plant in our Plant Guardian scheme, we can keep track of it, including to alert you if someone else is looking for it. You will also be helping our wider research and our Threatened Plants Programme. We encourage all our Plant Guardians to propagate and share their plants with others, perhaps through our free annual Plant Exchange. We share information about Plant Guardian plants through our blog and website (with your permission).
Potentilla 'Velours Pourpre'
V Lloyd-Owen
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
Francoa sonchifolia 'Doctor Tom Smith'
© Plant Heritage
Eligible plants
You may have a suitable plant already in your garden or on your windowsill, or you might be able to get one from friends or family, or through your local Plant Heritage group or 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').
Record your plant with us and our experts will check its status. Please note - if your plant is already safely in a National Collection, we do not also register is as a Plant Guardian plant.
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.