Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank are our Outdoor Programme sponsors, supporting the National Trust to garden in a climate of change.
The National Trust looks after over 200 historic and important gardens and parks. The impacts of climate change are already having serious effects on our gardens, with important plant collections under threat from new pests and diseases, increased temperatures and more extreme weather. We need to adapt fast.
The Trust is taking major steps to in its gardens to adapt to and combat global warming.
During the three year sponsorship, the funding is supporting two key projects:
The Greener Gardens initiative
From composting on an industrial scale, rainwater harvesting and reviving old wells, to experimenting with drought-resistant varieties of plants and introducing solar-powered lawnmowers; National Trust gardeners across the country are taking steps to maintain our gardens in more environmentally friendly and sustainable ways.
A key part of the initiative is spreading the word on environmentally friendly gardening practices. From gardens on the scale of ours to the smallest window box, there are lots of simple ways you can reduce your impact on the environment and save money at the same time!
The plant survey challenge
Thanks to the latest technology and generous funding from Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank, over 1,000,000 plants are being recorded to give us the first overview of the national importance of the largest collection of cultivated plants in the UK.
Many of these plants tell the story of a garden’s creation, people’s passions and changing fashions through the centuries. Some have become rare survivors of plants now endangered in the wild.
Recording garden plants individually ensures that none slip through the net and there may be some exciting discoveries to be made along the way!
Once recorded, we will propagate the most important plants and return these to their original sites for continuity. This task is more urgent than ever due to the threat from new plant diseases and the need to adapt to changing growing conditions. By taking on these and other challenges that climate change poses we aim to ensure the survival of our amazing plant collections for future generations to enjoy.
This sponsorship is just one example of Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank’s commitment to the environment, which includes a pledge to be carbon neutral by 2010. They believe in delivering long-term, sustainable change, both in their own business and in the larger world.
|
