Welcome to the Norfolk Plant Heritage Website
Who are we?
Norfolk Plant Heritage (NPH) is part of the national charity Plant Heritage. We are one of the largest groups nationally with over 200 members. NPH was founded in 1989, eleven years after the national charity came into being in 1978. The aim was to combine the talents of Norfolk gardeners, plant lovers, botanists and anyone with an interest in the conservation and protection of unusual garden plants.
The overall mission of Plant Heritage is to: “…safeguard special plants across the UK so they can be enjoyed today and by future generations.”
How does this work at Norfolk Plant Heritage?
At NPH, we achieve the aims of the national charity in a variety of ways:
National Collections – we have twelve National Collections, all of which can be visited, and we support them through our fundraising
Education – we hold a variety of interesting talks given by specialists, organise garden visits, award an annual bursary to a local primary school through a bidding process, organise plant propagation sessions – the plants are then sold at our plant fairs and talks,
Plant Fairs – we hold two Plant Fairs each year at Hethersett near Norwich, in May and August, which support our local plant nurseries, at low cost to the nurseries and members of the public and with opportunities for members to actively volunteer
Enjoyment – we hold an annual gala in April (past speakers include Nick Bailey, Michael Marriott and James Alexander Sinclair) and a summer social event in June or July, always in a beautiful garden
And how does this work nationally?
The national charity works in a variety of ways to protect garden plants:
National Collections – collections of plants, approved by Plant Heritage, are held by passionate individuals who are prepared to develop and share their specialist knowledge of the plants in their collection
Education – through the many local organisations, participation at flower shows, online talks, open days for the National Collections
Plant Guardians – conservation of one or more rare garden plants so that individual plants are not lost to horticulture
Persephone – and online horticultural database to help record and manage national collection plants
Plant Exchange – an annual free event enabling people to swop rare and unusual plants and the event is held in different parts of the country
Why do people join us?
“I was looking for a plant society to join in 2016. Members are very knowledgeable and so willing to share their expertise, so I learnt a lot and am still doing so.”
“I enjoy gardening and learning about a range of different plants. I attended a couple of the talks for free and found them really interesting. The idea of a charity which focuses on garden plants felt like a something different. So I joined!”
“I received a bursary when I left college, which included a year’s membership of Plant Heritage. I attended a lot of the NPH talks and really enjoyed them. Learning about the plants really helped me in my career as a gardener.”
WHY NOT JOIN US
AND SUPPORT PLANT HERITAGE?
You can do this by joining the Plant Heritage national charity via the website www.plantheritage.org.uk
NPH will be notified and you will become an automatic member of the NPH group, with access to all groups across the country.