The PLANTS project: 8 outcomes – the final blog

As I reach the end of my tenure as Project Manager for PLANTS (Plant Listing at the National Trust for Scotland), I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve undertaken and look ahead to the future. In this final blog post, I’ll share an overview of the project’s aims, highlight eight key outcomes that we’ve achieved thanks to the dedicated work of the PLANTS team, and explore the lasting impact this project will have. Though the project is ending, the invaluable data we’ve gathered will continue to shape the Trust’s conservation efforts, driving future advancements and ensuring ongoing protection for our plant collections for generations to come.

What is the PLANTS project? 

For those of you who have not been following the course of the project over the last two and half years, you may well ask – what is the PLANTS project? Put simply, the project aimed to catalogue the living plant collection across Trust gardens and designed landscapes. With a total project budget of £1 million over three years, the project recruited three teams to work across Scotland and catalogue plants from a wide variety of gardens, from Inveresk in the Edinburgh suburbs to the open landscape of Scotland’s west coast at Inverewe. 

The project has visited 35 major properties, ensuring each is documented and carefully preserved for the future. A grant from the Row Fogo Trust, which was accessed with support from the Fundraising team, generously supported the Trust’s budget for the project.

Why was the project needed?

Complete and accurate plant records are an essential tool for managing heritage gardens. Plant records allow the Trust to maintain and care for its living collections, demonstrate compliance, and use those collections to support its education, conservation, research and engagement goals. 

Most Trust gardens have a strong history of plant records management, with many gardens, such as Branklyn, having accession books from as early as the 1920s (the era of John and Dorothy Renton). However, gardens historically tracked and preserved plant records in various ways, including handwritten notes, maps and digital spreadsheets. The information that each garden gathers and tracks also varied considerably. These issues made it difficult to share information between gardens and analyse the data nationally. 

Key objectives included:

• Create an up-to-date inventory of the living plant collections for all 35 gardens
• Input that inventory into collection management software called IrisBG, which can store extensive information such as plant history, taxonomy, locations, maps, images, references and contacts.
• Establishing and implementing a Plant Records Management Procedure and Policy across the Trust’s properties.

Have we fulfilled our mission?

I’m happy to report that we have fulfilled our mission. We have documented over 77,000 living plant records. 48,000 of those are newly created accession records. These numbers demonstrate the scale of the effort and its success in bringing clarity and cohesion to the Trust’s horticultural collections. This initiative has transformed how the Trust and its gardeners manage and appreciate their garden’s assets and will guide stewardship for years to come.

8 key outcomes of the PLANTS project

1. Understanding the scope of the Trust’s plant collections

Understanding the number and types of plants in the Trust’s care is fundamental for effective conservation and management. Detailed up-to-date records did not exist before the project began, with the assumption being that over 100,000 plants were held across the portfolio. We know that over 86,000 living plantings are in our gardens at this stage, including over 15,000 different types of plants (of which over 8,000 are named cultivars). Among these, the collection includes over 1,200 different taxa of rhododendron, 705 different kinds of Narcissus (daffodils), 452 types of Rosa (rose), and 320 Malus (apple) taxa. 

The most diverse collections are found at Inverewe, Threave and Branklyn Garden, each hosting over 2,700 taxa. Properties like Inverewe, Threave, Brodick, Arduaine, Crathes, and Crarae hold the largest number of living accessions, each maintaining over 5,000 plants. The Trust’s most represented genera by individual plants are rhododendron (10,736 specimens), daffodil (4,853), apple (2,301) and rose (2,323). This highlights the significance of these collections for conservation and horticultural heritage.

The Trust plays a vital role in preserving Scotland’s botanical heritage by maintaining detailed records that protect rare and endangered species. These records support propagation efforts, safeguard plants from diseases and pests, and address challenges posed by climate change. Additionally, they contribute to global conservation by facilitating future collaboration with botanical gardens and seed banks.

2. Uncovering rarity: conserving rare and unusual plants

The PLANTS project has uncovered a wealth of endangered species, significantly enhancing their protection in our care and deepening our understanding of their importance. We are now able to identify how many species in the Trust’s collections are classified under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. While further analysis is ongoing, early results reveal that the Trust’s gardens host 114 of the 316 rhododendron species categorised as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable on the Rhododendrons Red List 2011.

We are also better able to understand our plants with wild origins, and ensure that future wild-collected material entering our collections meets the requirements of CITES, the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Recent discoveries include two species classified as Extinct in the Wild and 18 Critically Endangered species. The project also uncovered connections to historic botanists, with plants linked to Frank Kingdon-Ward, George Forrest and Reginald Farrer.

3. Living history: how plants connect us to the past

As a historian, I’ve always been fascinated by the stories that objects and places can tell, but working on the PLANTS project has deepened my appreciation for the unique narratives held by plants. In the gardens in the Trust’s care, I’ve encountered plants that bear silent witness to the lives and passions of the people who planted them.

• Take the wisteria at Broughton House & Garden, planted by Edward Atkinson Hornel nearly a century ago. Its gnarled, twisting vines bloom every spring, a living connection to the artist’s love for Japanese culture and meticulous garden design.
• At Crarae Garden, I was entranced by a grove of towering eucalyptus trees that looked almost prehistoric. These were among 20 species planted by Sir George Campbell, imported from Tasmania in the early 20th century.
• At Arduaine, we uncovered fascinating rhododendrons and ferns, including Rhododendron arboreum subsp. zeylanicum. Planted in the late 19th century by James Arthur Campbell after his return from tea estates in Sri Lanka, these rhododendrons were among the first of their kind raised in the UK from wild-collected seed.
• At Inverewe, we came across the Trust’s oldest recorded rhododendrons in another Rhododendron arboreum subsp. Zeylanicum (1906) and three Rhododendron ‘Ima-shojo’ Kurume (1907). At Inverewe, we have thus far audited 33 rhododendrons dating from 1900–30, planted by Osgood Mackenzie and his daughter.

These plants are more than horticultural treasures; they are living relics, connecting us to the explorers, gardeners and visionaries who shaped these landscapes. Through them, history truly comes alive – and continues to grow.

4. Cultivating history: the Trust’s unique plant legacies

When I began the PLANTS project, I didn’t realise we would uncover plants bred by National Trust for Scotland gardeners or named after our properties. Yet, one of the most exciting outcomes has been identifying cultivars linked to Trust gardens, each with a unique story.

We discovered five plants bred by the Threave School of Heritage Gardening, known for over 60 years of breeding unique cultivars. These included the rare Abies koreana ‘Threave’ and Ozothamnus ‘Threave Seedling’, selected by former Head Gardener Magnus Ramsay in the 1980s. The three recorded specimens of Picea sitchensis ‘Kelton Hill’ found in Threave Garden were originally grown from cuttings taken near Threave House and may be the only three in existence.

Other gardens have their own treasures. At Culzean, we found Crocosmia pottsii ‘Culzean Pink’ and ‘Culzean Peach’, bred on the estate. Crarae Garden was home to the rare Fagus sylvatica ‘Crarae’, an unusual beech with distinct leaf morphology – three of the five known specimens in the world grow here. Efforts are underway to propagate and reintroduce missing cultivars, preserving their genetic and cultural heritage.

5. Champion trees

The project has confirmed the remarkable presence of champion trees within the Trust’s portfolio, with 137 specimens recognised in the Tree Register of the British Isles for their exceptional size, age or historical significance. For the first time, the Trust has been able to integrate this Tree Register data with our own records, underlining the urgent need to preserve these extraordinary specimens.

Notable collections include those of Brodick and Crathes Castles, which boast 68 and 27 champion trees respectively. Through projects like this, the Trust is preserving these natural treasures and illuminating their stories for future generations.

6. National Collections

One of the project’s outcomes was to better understand the 17 National Plant Collections in the Trust’s care, which include rare cultivated plants and species at risk of extinction. These collections, registered and overseen by Plant Heritage, play a crucial role in conserving horticultural heritage, preserving genetic diversity, and supporting vital conservation efforts.

The Trust’s National Collections protect endangered plants, such as the rhododendrons at Branklyn Garden and the Brodie daffodils bred by Major Ian Brodie. My personal highlights include the rare Rosa ’Treasure Trove’ from the National Collection of Shrub Roses I audited at Malleny. Remarkably, this cultivar is the only example of its kind within the Trust’s collection and has been recognised with a Plant Guardian Award for its exceptional rarity.

7. Engaging the public through blogs, talks and social media

Visitor engagement was a major priority for the PLANTS project, with the team sharing discoveries through blogs, talks and social media. The project’s blog series has been a vital tool, offering an engaging narrative over 52 articles. In 2024 alone, our project webpage welcomed over 200 visitors. The most popular of the 23 blog posts published last year, Top 5 Perennial Plants, received over 600 views, demonstrating our visitors’ enthusiasm for gardening and the project. Other blogs explored the histories of some of the Trust’s gardens, highlighted rare plants and showcased the Trust’s conservation efforts.

Beyond digital communication, the project has actively engaged members of the public through talks at horticultural societies, sparking lively discussions with plant enthusiasts and sharing behind-the-scenes insights into the Trust’s collections. Visitors at Trust properties have had the chance to meet the PLANTS team directly, learn about recent discoveries and witness the importance of conservation work. 

Additionally, we have been able to provide individual properties with content to share on their social media channels, highlighting their unique collections and the discoveries we have made. This has brought garden finds to life and offered followers glimpses of rare plants and seasonal highlights.

8. Fostering collaboration

One of the project’s great outcomes has been the level of collaboration between project staff and garden teams at the Trust’s properties. From the start, garden staff played an essential role in plant identification and recording, ensuring the accuracy of our work with their hands-on knowledge. We worked closely with Gardens and Designed Landscape Managers (GDLMs) across regions, who were instrumental in supporting their teams. Both GDLMs and garden staff demonstrated a deep commitment to understanding and owning the data, enhancing the quality of our database.

During training for the new database, it was inspiring to see gardeners eagerly searching for plants on their wish lists for their own gardens, sparking conversations and shared interests with other gardeners, and even identifying surprising plant finds in each other’s collections. While it is still in its early stages, the database has already fostered a sense of community among gardeners, laying the foundation for ongoing collaboration and a shared commitment to record-keeping. This growing unity is essential for the future of plant conservation, ensuring that the Trust’s gardens and collections will be preserved for generations.

Looking ahead: a lasting legacy

This project has been transformative, ensuring that Scotland’s remarkable plant collections are comprehensively recorded and protected for future generations. The dedication and enthusiasm of the PLANTS team, our gardeners and our organisational colleagues have made this project an overwhelming success.

Successfully cataloguing the Trust’s gardens marks a significant step forward, but this is only the beginning. By creating a robust and accessible plant records system, the Trust is now equipped to:

• Manage plant diseases more effectively
• Track and protect rare species
• Make informed horticultural decisions
• Strengthen Scotland’s role in global plant conservation efforts

Though my time with the PLANTS project is ending, I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together. The knowledge we have gained will continue to inform conservation strategies and ensure that Scotland’s gardens remain vibrant, diverse and inspiring for future generations.

I’m deeply grateful to the National Trust for Scotland, garden staff, managers and volunteers for their support and collaboration. To the PLANTS project team and volunteers, thank you for your dedication – together, we’ve achieved something truly special.