Historic palms thrive in warmer times
A collection of palm trees dating from Victorian times is charting climate change at Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight.
When the collection started in the 1860s, only Chusan palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) could survive outside, largely thanks to the island’s mild microclimate. Now a newly crowned Plant Heritage National Plant Collection of over 20 species grows in the open. “The range we can grow outside now is scandalous,” says curator Chris Kidd. “We shouldn’t be able to do these things.” Find out more at: botanic.co.uk