We were thrilled to read the following account sent by Juliet Rose, who will be here later this year to continue her PhD. studies

Every spring in the UK the Royal Horticultural Society presents the world famous Chelsea Flower Show to celebrate horticultural excellence. The show is televised and covers everything from introducing new plants to elaborately constructed show-gardens. The week-long show sees thousands of visitors every year and therefore as you might expect every Chelsea Flower Show has a first aid tent. This year however saw the first ever first aid stand for plants.
Featuring plants in bandages, plant x-rays and trained staff on hand the ‘Species Recovery Unit’ was actually in the Life Long Learning section of the show. The exhibit was designed to showcase the conservation work carried out on islands in collaboration with Reading University and the Eden project.

The St Helena Boxwood and Ebony were displayed alongside plants from the Seychelles and the Canary Islands. Visitors were genuinely fascinated by their uniqueness, for some it was the first time they had seen plants from these islands. Everyone who visited the stand left with a sense of appreciation for the unique ecological heritage of these small islands and an admiration for the efforts that were being employed to preserve our global biodiversity.

The visitors weren’t the only ones who were impressed. The judges awarded a prestigious Silver-Gilt medal to the Species Recovery Unit for the inspiring and engaging way it presented the importance of conservation work on small islands to the British public.

Silver-gilt medal awarded to species recovery unit stand at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Conservation work by Reading University and Eden Project
St. Helena, Seychelles and Canary Islands endemic plants.

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