Plant Heritage is asking volunteers to grow rare pollinator-friendly plants in their homes or gardensKeep rare plants in your living room or garden, a horticultural charity has urged people in Britain, because creating a “national collection” can save pollinator-friendly plants from becoming extinct.Plant Heritage, which works to keep rare garden flowers growing even when they are out of fashion, has started a campaign to protect pollinator-friendly plants and is asking for volunteers to set up a collection.Astrophytum: With large yellow flowers in late spring and summer, these North American cacti will survive in a cool glasshouse if kept dry. International plant breeders have created many highly ornamental hybrids and cultivars, too.Campanula: Also known as bellflowers, these distinctive open, bell-shaped flowers can be blue, pink, purple or white. There are about 80 species and 232 cultivars available.Colocasia: These dramatic foliage plants can be grown outside in a warm, sheltered spot, or in greenhouses or conservatories. There are 19 cultivars available.Echinacea: Known for attracting bees, birds and other pollinators, these hardy, herbaceous perennials have about 200 cultivars listed on the RHS Plantfinder.Elaeagnus: There are 45 species and cultivars available in the UK, which either flower in spring and early summer or in the autumn. Some have edible berries.Erigeron: Related to daisies, Erigeron can be annuals, biennials or perennials. They thrive in sunny spots with some happily growing through the cracks in paving.Gaura (Oenothera (G)): Known for attracting bees, these drought tolerant, deciduous perennials flower for a long period at the end of summer and into autumn. They are mostly in shades of pink and white.Knautia: A magnet for bees and butterflies, this plant group can be found growing wild in meadows across the UK and is also a cottage garden favourite.Lysimachia: From creeping, ground cover plants to stately perennials, this genus can survive in a variety of settings. The UK native species have yellow flowers, but the garden types include whites and deep maroons too.Osmanthus: These hardy evergreen shrubs with attractive foliage are easy to grow, and thrive in either sun or shade. There are 17 cultivars and 10 species available in the UK.Phygelius: These are low growing evergreen shrubs but are often treated as perennials. The tubular flowers are held on long stems and come in tones of pink, red and occasionally yellow, and will last from mid-summer into the autumn.Silene: These wildflowers are also known as campion and catchfly, with many other species found in the UK, from alpines to border perennials. With shades of pink, lilac, white and red, they bloom from late spring through to early summer. Continue reading…
Source : theguardian.com
Read more…‘A national living library’: UK charity’s plea to save rare plants from extinction
