Gardening giants at risk of extinction as homogenization takes hold in UK gardens.
The traditional diversity of flowers in British gardens is dwindling rapidly due to modern gardening trends and a reliance on generic varieties sold by garden centres. According to Plant Heritage, more than half of the 133,000 cultivated plants they've assessed are no longer reliably available for sale in the UK, with one in six species only recorded from a single location.
This alarming trend has sparked a call to action from the charity, which is now urging the public to grow unusual and rare plants to safeguard their diversity. By doing so, gardeners can help prevent some cultivated flowers from dying out altogether.
Plant Heritage's chief executive, Gwen Hines, warns that the loss of garden biodiversity could have negative impacts on nature and wildlife. "While plants in your garden may appear safer than those in the wild, they can still be at risk," she says. "We need to protect our garden plants."
To help achieve this goal, Plant Heritage is exhibiting its first show garden at the Chelsea flower show in May, featuring examples of rare blooms alongside more common varieties. The charity's show aims to raise awareness about at-risk plants and encourage people to grow a wider range of flowers in their gardens.
One way to do this is by starting your own national collections of rare plants. This can be done through propagating cuttings from healthy parent plants using the right techniques, such as taking cuttings from non-flowering stems, removing lower leaves, and allowing the cutting to dry before potting it up.
Plant Heritage has shared five tips for successful propagation:
* Start with healthy parent plants that are pest-free
* Use clean and sharp snips or scissors to make a neat cut above a leaf joint
* Trim the cutting to just below the lowest leaf join
* Pot up the new cutting in a mix that drains well, such as half peat-free growing media and half grit or perlite
* Share your plants and their stories with others
By taking these steps, gardeners can help safeguard the diversity of flowers in British gardens and support the conservation efforts of charities like Plant Heritage.
The traditional diversity of flowers in British gardens is dwindling rapidly due to modern gardening trends and a reliance on generic varieties sold by garden centres. According to Plant Heritage, more than half of the 133,000 cultivated plants they've assessed are no longer reliably available for sale in the UK, with one in six species only recorded from a single location.
This alarming trend has sparked a call to action from the charity, which is now urging the public to grow unusual and rare plants to safeguard their diversity. By doing so, gardeners can help prevent some cultivated flowers from dying out altogether.
Plant Heritage's chief executive, Gwen Hines, warns that the loss of garden biodiversity could have negative impacts on nature and wildlife. "While plants in your garden may appear safer than those in the wild, they can still be at risk," she says. "We need to protect our garden plants."
To help achieve this goal, Plant Heritage is exhibiting its first show garden at the Chelsea flower show in May, featuring examples of rare blooms alongside more common varieties. The charity's show aims to raise awareness about at-risk plants and encourage people to grow a wider range of flowers in their gardens.
One way to do this is by starting your own national collections of rare plants. This can be done through propagating cuttings from healthy parent plants using the right techniques, such as taking cuttings from non-flowering stems, removing lower leaves, and allowing the cutting to dry before potting it up.
Plant Heritage has shared five tips for successful propagation:
* Start with healthy parent plants that are pest-free
* Use clean and sharp snips or scissors to make a neat cut above a leaf joint
* Trim the cutting to just below the lowest leaf join
* Pot up the new cutting in a mix that drains well, such as half peat-free growing media and half grit or perlite
* Share your plants and their stories with others
By taking these steps, gardeners can help safeguard the diversity of flowers in British gardens and support the conservation efforts of charities like Plant Heritage.
I mean, who doesn't love a good ol' fashioned flower explosion? 
But seriously, it's crazy how many plants are disappearing from our shelves and nurseries. I've started looking into propagating my own rare blooms, and it's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it! 
Just make sure to take cuttings from healthy parent plants, dry them out a bit, and pot 'em up in some well-draining soil. It's like magic! 
My fave way to share my new babies is on social media – Instagram is full of amazing gardening communities who can't get enough of rare plant love 
just heard that gardening giants are on the brink of extinction in UK gardens! I mean, I love a good flower show as much as the next person, but it's crazy to think that more than half of all cultivated plants are no longer available for sale 
. It's like, we're losing this incredible diversity of flowers and it could have major impacts on nature and wildlife 
. And starting your own national collections of rare plants? That's genius 
! I mean, who wouldn't want to share their plants and their stories with others and contribute to the conservation efforts? 
It's like, we can all make a difference in our own little way 
.
. And it's not just the gardeners who are affected, think about all the wildlife that relies on those plants for food and shelter! 
. It's crazy that it even has to come to this...we're basically watching the diversity of flowers in UK gardens just disappear before our eyes 
I'm gettin' really worried about our beautiful British gardens man! It's like we're losin' all the crazy colourful vibes that make 'em so special 
. We need more people growin' all sorts of plants, not just stickin' with what everyone else is doin' 
. I mean, have you seen those Chelsea flower show pics? They're gorgeous, but also kinda sad that we've lost so many unique varieties 
. What's the point of havin' a garden if it's just gonna be like every other one out there? We gotta get back to growin' our own heritage and supportin' charities like Plant Heritage 
.
It's like a big gardening treasure hunt!
It's like, we're destroying our own home planet or something... 
.
[GIF: A person watering plants with a sad expression]
[Meme: A picture of a person looking at a normal-looking plant and saying "I could've sworn this was rare..."]
[GIF: A person happily holding up a newly propagated plant]
[Image: A picture of a generic garden with only one or two unique plants]
. I mean, who doesn't love a good old-fashioned flower explosion? But seriously, it's crazy to think that we're on track to lose so many unique varieties forever. It's all about finding that balance between progress and preserving our natural heritage 
. And Plant Heritage's show garden at Chelsea sounds amazing! It's about time we raise awareness about this issue and get people talking about it 
.
. I mean, who says you can't have a mix of old and new in your garden? 
. Let's all try to be more thoughtful with our plant choices and support those working hard to conserve our botanical treasures 
.
... I mean, who doesn't love a good DIY project? 
But seriously, if we all do our bit to propagate these rare plants, we can make a real difference 
. But it's not just us, individuals, who need to step up - it's our communities, too. Imagine having to travel all over the country just to find that one special flower that makes your heart sing... it's like, what kind of impact does that have on local ecosystems and biodiversity? 
But on the other hand, can you imagine a world without all those different coloured flowers? It'd be pretty bleak 
gardening trends r killing off traditional diversity in UK gardens! like more than half of the 133k cultivated plants are no longer available for sale lol what's happening?! 
think bout all da gorgeous blooms we'll be missin if we dont preserve dem 
.
...its actually pretty easy like just takin cuttings from parent plants and potting them up 
its like, we can do this ppl! let's save those unique flowers!!! 
. Time to dig deeper into our own backyards & grow some rare blooms