National Trust plant sales now 100% peat-free, giving peace of mind to sustainability-focused gardeners – but four-year wait for Government legislation continues

The move comes four years after the UK Government first committed to ending the use of horticultural peat, a pledge reaffirmed in the 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan. Yet, with no clear timetable for legislation, the Trust is urging Government to bring it forward urgently as peat continues to be extracted and degraded, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere and damaging ecosystems.

Separately, the Peat-free Partnership, of which the National Trust is a member, has this week launched a 'Get Peat Out of Our Homes' public campaign calling on supermarkets and the Government to phase out peat in food production and bring an end to peat sales altogether.

The Trust has been practicing peat-free propagation and gardening across its properties and Plant Conservation Centre for more than 25 years and promotes the practice to its members and visitors.

“But we were still finding peat hiding unsuspectedly in some of the products we bought,” said Camilla Timms, Senior National Specialist for Sustainable Resources.

“To address this, we reviewed all our practices and developed a Peat Free Transition Plan to target and eliminate this ‘stubborn’ peat.”

This ‘stubborn’ peat was identified as mainly being used for plug plants used at the beginning of the plant supply chain, meaning some plants were not in fact peat-free even when they were later grown-on in peat-free media. In 2023, the Trust’s retail, plant health and sustainability teams began working with growers to understand their challenges and support the move to 100% peat-free.

Michelle Burgess, Senior Buying Manager, said: “We value our suppliers and it was important to us to work collaboratively with them – particularly the smaller growers – to help them navigate the shift to peat-free. We’re grateful and proud that together, we have made all stages of the growing process peat-free, from seed to finished plant.”

Rebecca Bevan, Senior National Specialist for Environmental Horticulture, said: “In the UK, a ‘peat-free’ label can simply mean that no peat was used when the plant was last potted-on, ready for sale. This is misleading and confusing for people who are trying to make more sustainable choices.

“This shift gives our customers peace of mind. If they buy a plant from one of the National Trust’s 90 shops, they can be confident it has been grown entirely peat-free throughout its life. It also takes the Trust a step closer to its target of being peat-free across all supply chains.

Rebecca continued: "But it has also underlined the lack of legislation which means there is currently no level playing field across the industry, making it hard for businesses to move to a peat-free model.”

The Trust's shops sell on average more than half a million plants per year, across 1,000 different lines. The Trust’s plant suppliers, and their plug suppliers, are committed to continuing to expand the range of 100% peat-free plants available for customers.

The milestone is part of the Trust’s ambitious nature restoration and climate mitigation targets. Extracting peat to grow plants and food damages peatlands, releasing locked-up carbon into the atmosphere, and causing irreversible damage to the most vulnerable nature conservation habitats and historic environments. Most of the peat extracted in the UK is used for horticultural purposes.

Michelle Burgess continued: “The Trust looks after its world-class gardens without the use of peat – and we want to inspire others to do the same. That’s why we are committed to sourcing fantastic quality plants that are fully peat-free, for our members and visitors to take home.

“Buying peat-free Trust plants completes the circle, because every sale helps us care for places people love and for nature, including the work we do to restore peatland.”

Sheila Das, Head of Gardens and Parks, added: “I’m passionate about ‘slow gardening’, which means reflecting more on the impacts of what we do, and making decisions based on long-term ecological thinking. I hope our 100% peat-free plants will help our customers adopt this ethos, and take their love of nature one step further.”