Trust celebrates Scotland’s most treasured plants
The National Trust for Scotland has started the third and final year of its ambitious project to meticulously document an estimated 100,000 plants across its 39 major gardens. So far, the extensive process has resulted in remarkable findings that unravel fascinating stories from the past, highlighting endangered species of plants and enabling the country’s largest conservation charity to form a plan to further protect them for decades to come. As Scotland’s largest garden owner, the charity has made significant progress on the PLANTS (Plant Listing at the National Trust for Scotland) project, identifying over 60,000 plantings since work began in 2022. Just one of the many discoveries is a Primula ‘Inverewe’, thought to have been lost, which was discovered at Inverewe Garden in the Scottish
Highlands. A hybrid between two Candelabra Primulas, the vibrant flower does not set seed and can only be propagated, a process of producing plants from a single parent plant. To preserve the unique plant and encourage the longevity of the cultivar, the Primula ‘Inverewe’ is set for propagation as a result of the PLANTS project.
The PLANTS project is one of many initiatives led by the Trust as part of its 10-year strategy, Nature, Beauty & Heritage for Everyone, with a mission to conserve Scotland’s heritage and the stories that each of its gardens hold. For further details, visit nts.org.uk