Plant Heritage announces new chairman, Sir Roderick Newton.
Leading plant conservation charity Plant Heritage has today announced its new chairman, Roderick Newton. He will take over on 15 September from Cecilia Bufton, who has led the charity for the past eight years.
Roderick says he's excited to be the next chairman, having always had a passion for plants. This is a pivotal time for the charity as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2028, with nearly 100,000 plants now kept safe in its flagship conservation schemes, the National Plant Collections® and the Plant Guardians®.
Roderick is particularly keen to inspire younger growers and gardeners from communities across the country to access the work of Plant Heritage. He learnt from some of the best gardeners of the day from Valerie Finnis to Christopher Lloyd, who were all generous with their time and encouragement, knowledge and expertise, and would love for today’s young growers to have the same opportunities.
Roderick has a recognised National Collection of Iris in his garden, and further back up collections of Iris and historic daffodils. He also has an array of animals including numerous Lusitano horses, Deerhound Lurchers and one of the oldest flocks of Norfolk Horn Sheep, which he helped to save from the risk of extinction.
Roderick had a distinguished career as a barrister and a judge, becoming a High Court judge in 2014 - a position he held until his retirement in 2023. Now he has more time to devote to horticulture and is returning to his childhood passion for plants. He fondly remembers planting the nasturtium Tropaeolum majus 'Empress of India' with his grandmother. At the age of 18 he was offered a place to study horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, but turned it down to follow his legal studies. His own garden has been a labour of love for over 40 years, derelict when he arrived but now filled with plants, hedges and trees, including those planted as his children were born.
During her time as chair, Cecilia Bufton has led incredible work to transform the charity, including an increase in the number of new National Plant Collections to over 730, with the first in a pub and a women’s prison; the launch of the Plant Guardian scheme which encourages people to look after one or a few rare plants; major developments to the Persephone plant recording system which was awarded IT sector charity project of the year in 2023; leading the 45th anniversary celebrations with President Alan Titchmarsh in 2023; and returning to RHS Chelsea in 2024 with a stunning display including the National Collection of Iris bred by Cedric Morris, held by Sarah Cook, alongside florilegium artwork. The charity updated its name to Plant Heritage in 2018 from the National Council for the Conservation of Plants & Gardens (NCCPG).
Roderick is already a trustee for Plant Heritage and part of the charity's dedicated board, who are accountable to the charity's thousands of members across the country. The board is supported by expert committees and working groups, staffed by volunteers.
Gwen Hines, CEO of Plant Heritage, says: We're thrilled to have Roderick take on the chairman role for Plant Heritage, following Cecilia's excellent leadership. He has a real passion for plants and a lot of knowledge about growing and conserving them. This, combined with his wealth of experience on leadership and governance, makes him the perfect person to lead the charity as we implement our exciting plans for the future.