As custodian of over 200 gardens and parks, the National Trust safeguards plants of unrivalled historical, botanical and ecological significance. The fruit of centuries of plant hunting, breeding and selection, the Trust’s plant collection is as vital to Britain’s cultural heritage as the contents of its great houses.

©  NTPL / Jerry Harpur

These living links to our past reflect the passions, skills and tastes of individuals and society, and their conservation is vital to the character and integrity of each garden or park.

Plant Conservation Programme

The Plant Conservation Programme (PCP) protects the historically and botanically significant, rare or threatened plants in National Trust gardens and parks. Based at Knightshayes Court in Devon, the PCP propagates the Trust’s most important plants, supplying gardens with ‘spares’ or ‘replacements’ of otherwise irreplaceable specimens.

Nearly 10,000 plants have been processed and distributed to National Trust gardens and parks since the initiative began in 1982. The urgent need for the PCP was highlighted by the destructive storms of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when countless plants were saved through its efforts. Its role has become increasingly crucial in recent years as we face the threat of climate change and the rapid spread of pests and diseases.