Ingham’s W RLD
STANDING in the hothouse in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew you are transported from London to the rainforests of the tropics. And in the real tropics Singapore’s gardens boast some of the most amazing orchids in the world. But the 3,000 botanic gardens around the world are more than a pleasant diversion, according to Cambridge University expert Samuel Brockington. These havens are helping to save the planet. They contain about 33 per cent of the world’s known plant species and, more importantly, 41 per cent of all “threatened” species.
That estimate is based on a study of just a third of all the world’s botanic gardens. So the real total of endangered species protected may be much higher.
Dr Brockington tells Nature Plants these gardens are “our best hope for saving some of the world’s most endangered plants”.
He said: “Currently, an estimated one fifth of plant diversity is under threat, yet there is no technical reason why any plant species should become extinct.”
If plant species keep vanishing, we will all suffer. Dr Brockington said man will struggle to solve the global challenges of food and fuel security, environmental degradation and climate change. You can also throw into the equation the many medicines derived from plants and the hope of new cures for killers such as cancer.
So the pioneering global work of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, with its 500 members in 100 countries, is more than academic.
But there is another reason why we should conserve the world’s plants: they are beautiful.
Last weekend I saw their capacity to give pleasure at Leeds Castle in Kent. Its Festival of Flowers, which sadly ended yesterday, was a tribute to flower power.
Roses tumbled over the walls, blues and pinks decorated the portcullis while the Tudor courtyard told the story of Beauty and the Beast, right down to the bloodred rose under a glass dome.
Many of the blooms were from Colombia in South America, the world’s second-biggest grower of flowers, carried in the bellies of scheduled passenger planes.
My favourites were Heidi Lawley’s avalanche of roses pouring out of a fireplace and royal florist Simon Lycett’s treatment of Henry VIII’s banqueting table, which he bedecked with orchids, hops, Chinese lanterns, roses and dahlias.
Louise Roots’ silver birch fourposter bed smothered in heavily scented roses was breathtaking.
Beauty, bright colours, heartwarming scents – that’s more than enough reason to protect our floral heritage. FOXES are remarkable Casanovas. Out walking my dog, I spotted a movement and at the far end of a field were three foxes, one skulking, two amorous.
The dog fox mounted the vixen and kept going… and going and going. Such stamina. When he’d finished his tail was ramrod straight, trailing like a banner behind him. Dear reader, I almost blushed. STAYING at Leeds Castle for the flower festival, I was amazed by the size of the shower in my room. It was colossal. It was built for a very big star. My room was home to Pavarotti when he performed at the castle at the peak of his powers. No risks were taken – the shower even had a reinforced floor. GREEN TIP: Speed up turning autumn leaves into mulch for flower beds by shredding and collecting them with a lawn mower. FISH are far from automatons, reports Functional Ecology. Tiny Trinidadian guppies have distinctive personalities, say Exeter University scientists. When they face a threat, some explore cautiously, some hide and others try to flee. Whatever the threat each individual’s behaviour is consistent. HELL is other people – on public transport. Increasingly passengers seem to think it’s a treat for everyone to listen to their Skype conversations or the TV programmes on their tablets. Others love to let us eavesdrop on their phone conversations by using their loudspeakers. Why these cretins can’t use headphones is beyond me.