Garden Conservation and the National Collections
Garden conservation is not just about preserving designed landscapes — it is about preserving the genetic diversity of cultivated plants themselves. National Plant Collections schemes in the UK, France, Germany and elsewhere now keep alive thousands of cultivars that commercial nurseries have dropped.
Plant Heritage and the NCCPG
Founded in 1978 as the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens, renamed Plant Heritage in 2009. Coordinates around 650 National Collections in the UK and Ireland — collections of a single genus or related group held by a private gardener or institution.
How a National Collection works
A Collection Holder commits to growing as wide a range as possible of cultivars within their chosen genus and to documenting them rigorously. Collections range from a few dozen cultivars (rare genera) to thousands (Hosta, Hydrangea).
Why this matters
Commercial nurseries grow what sells. Many beautiful historical cultivars are dropped from catalogues every year. Without conservation collections, hundreds of garden plants would already be extinct.
French equivalents
France's Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées (CCVS) operates a similar national network, with strong rose, peony and iris collections.
German collections
Germany operates a federation of public botanic gardens that holds national reference collections of native and cultivated species, supplemented by private collections registered with the Deutsche Genbank Zierpflanzen.
International coordination
BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) and ECPGR (European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources) coordinate these national efforts at international level, particularly for endangered native species.
Where to see
Major UK National Collections at Borde Hill (rhododendrons), Mottisfont (pre-1900 roses), Nymans (eucryphias), Hidcote (peonies), Wisley (multiple). Many private holders welcome visitors by appointment.
Explore on the map
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.