A living library’: a bid to save rare plants from extinction

Volunteers wanted to grow rare pollinator-friendly plants in their homes or gardens

top left: Campanula 'Samantha' bottom left: Knautia arvensis 'Rachael' top right: Silene fimbriata bottom right: Elaeagnus × submacrophylla Maryline centre: Gaura lindheimeri Rosyjane. The Missing Genera campaign asks people with a passion for plants to put together a National Plant Collection of their own and join the Plant Heritage community in growing, sharing and saving plants

People are being urged to keep rare plants in their living rooms or gardens to help create volunteer collections that can save pollinator-friendly plants from becoming extinct.

Plant Heritage, a UK-based charity that works to keep rare garden flowers growing even when they are out of fashion, has started a campaign to protect pollinator-friendly plants and is asking for volunteers to set up a collection.