More Than Half of Traditional UK Garden Plants Are Disappearing

More than half of the garden plants once commonly grown in the UK are no longer reliably available for sale, as changing flower fashions and modern gardening trends reduce the diversity of plants in our gardens.

Conservation charity Plant Heritage is urging gardeners to help protect rare and unusual cultivated plants by choosing a wider range of flowers — and even becoming custodians of threatened varieties — before they disappear altogether.

How Modern Gardening Is Reducing Plant Diversity

The growing trend towards smaller, paved-over gardens and the popularity of a limited number of “easy-to-grow” plants sold in garden centres is leading to a homogenisation of UK gardens.

Plant Heritage warns that this lack of diversity could have serious consequences for nature and biodiversity, as many traditional garden plants provide vital food, shelter and breeding spaces for wildlife.

The Scale of the Problem for Cultivated Plants

Of the more than 133,000 cultivated plants assessed by Plant Heritage:

• Over half are no longer consistently offered for sale in the UK
• One in six are recorded growing in just one or two locations

Without intervention, many of these plants risk being lost forever from gardens — and in some cases, from the world.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “Nurseries only stock a limited range and what’s in fashion changes, so keeping plants safe relies on people valuing what they have in their garden or public parks. We don’t treat plants as precious heritage in the same way we do objects.”

Why Plant Diversity Matters for Wildlife

A diverse range of garden plants plays a crucial role in supporting pollinators, birds and other wildlife. Many cultivated flowers provide nectar, pollen, berries and seeds, while dense or varied planting offers shelter and nesting sites.

Gardens that include a wide variety of plant species can act as vital refuges for biodiversity, especially in urban and suburban areas.

National Plant Collections: Living Libraries of Biodiversity

Plant Heritage protects threatened plants through its network of National Plant Collections, internationally recognised as a form of “ex situ” conservation.

These collections safeguard species outside their natural habitats. Some plants preserved in UK collections are already extinct in the wild, such as Brugmansia (angel trumpets), which are conserved at Kew Gardens in London.

Plant Heritage at the Chelsea Flower Show

To raise awareness of endangered garden plants, Plant Heritage will showcase its first-ever show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in May.

The garden will highlight existing “living libraries” of safeguarded plants — alongside species still lacking a dedicated guardian, known as a “missing collector”.

Featured collections will include:

• Geum
• Boehmeria
• Polypodium
• Thalictrum

The garden will also champion plants without a collection, such as Aquilegia and Verbascum, encouraging new custodians to step forward.

Gwen Hines, Plant Heritage’s chief executive, said: “We hope to inspire more people to join our growing community in safeguarding our nation’s favourite plants. Whilst plants in your garden may appear safer than those in the wild, they can still be at risk, so it’s crucial that we protect our garden plants.”

Five Expert Tips for Propagating Plants Successfully

Learning how to propagate plants is one of the most effective ways gardeners can help conserve rare varieties.

1. Start With Healthy Parent Plants

Choose vigorous, pest-free plants. Take cuttings from non-flowering stems, ideally young, firm green growth rather than woody stems.

2. Keep Tools Clean

Use clean, sharp scissors or secateurs to make a neat cut just above a leaf joint. Good hygiene protects both the parent plant and the cutting.

3. Cut in the Right Place

Trim the cutting just below the lowest leaf joint, removing lower leaves. Roots develop from this node. For plants like pelargoniums, allow the cutting to dry for an hour to prevent rotting. Large leaves can be trimmed by up to 50%.

4. Use Free-Draining Compost

Plant cuttings in a well-draining mix, such as half peat-free compost and half grit, perlite or coarse sand. Water from below and place cuttings in bright, indirect light.

5. Label and Share Your Plants

Always label cuttings with the plant name and origin. Sharing plants — and their stories — helps protect garden heritage for future generations.

How Gardeners Can Help Protect Plant Diversity

By growing a wider range of plants, learning simple propagation techniques, and sharing cuttings with others, gardeners can play a vital role in conserving cultivated plant diversity.

At Natural World Fund, we support initiatives that protect biodiversity — from wild landscapes to the plants growing in our own back gardens.