Helen Hutchings Cox (aka HelenLikesPlants) and the Planting Design Collective, designers of the Plant Heritage Missing Collectors Garden at RHS Chelsea, help us to raise vital funds
We’re thrilled to be taking part in the Big Give’s Earth Raise campaign, which kicks off at midday on Earth Day, 22 April 2026, and lasts for one week. The Big Give will match up to £5,000 of our fundraising, meaning that if we raise £5,000 we’ll have £10,000 to spend on plant conservation.
As part of the campaign, we will be working with sustainability adviser and keen gardener Helen Hutchings Cox (also known by Helen Likes Plants), to create content with some of our National Collections holders, highlighting the amazing work that’s already going on around the country.
And to mark the occasion, we’re thrilled that the designers of the Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden, the Planting Design Collective, will be joining Plant Heritage trustee and host of the Our Plant Stories Podcast, Sally Flatman, to give us a behind-the-scenes look at creating an RHS Chelsea show garden. They’ll share their experiences so far and look ahead to how the garden will come together on site in just a matter of weeks.
Join them on Tuesday 21 April at 7pm, tickets available here, and all donations gratefully received after the event.
Did you know that thousands of garden plants disappear every year? These plants are part of our shared history, just like stately homes or priceless artworks, and they are even more fragile. More than half the cultivated plants grown in this country in the past are no longer for sale, so it’s up to us all to keep them going, if we want the next generation to enjoy them. That’s why we’re taking part in the Big Give. We need all the help we can get to protect our plant heritage: by growing our living library of National Plant Collections, sharing the knowledge and skills to care for them, and protecting them for the future.
In the words of our President, Alan Titchmarsh CBE, we must “make sure all our future generations can enjoy our cherished plants”.
What will we do with the funds?
- Recruit more people to become National Collection holders, so we can keep more plants safe. We’ll be targeting plants where there isn’t yet a Collection, and those that benefit wildlife. We also want to create more back-up Collections for when crises like storms and floods hit, and shared Collections for community groups so more people benefit
- Expand our Plant Guardian scheme, which is a great way for anyone to get involved in plant conservation by protecting just one or a few rare plants
- Recruit, train and support more volunteers, to work alongside our small staff team, so we can scale up our conservation schemes quickly and provide support to Collection holders and Plant Guardians when they need it most
- Expand our research into plants at risk of disappearing, and into climate change implications. We also plan to invest in our website so we can make more of the unique data we hold available for others to use.
How much will make a difference?
Every penny counts for a small charity. This is how your donations could help Plant Heritage right now:
- £25 will help us register a new plant in our Plant Guardian scheme;
- £50 will help cover the travel costs for one of our volunteers who support National Collection holders
- £100 will pay for one of our free online workshops, so we can teach more people how to care for plants
Donate on the Big Give website from midday on 22 April.