Dear ,

Welcome to the seventh edition of the PlantNetwork News Update

You're receiving this email because you registered an interest in PlantNetwork via the sign-up form on the website. You will continue to receive this newsletter twice a year unless you unsubscribe (see end of this newsletter). If you are a member of PlantNetwork or work for an organisation or garden with membership, please get in touch so you can be added to the membership database and so receive the weekly newsletter packed with news, events, recruitment adverts and much more.

This year continues to see our information and training events delivered online, including our upcoming online conference. Non-members are welcome to most if not all events.

Perhaps you'd like to try PlantNetwork membership? We have recently introduced a 50% discount for the rest of this PlantNetwork membership period (which ends 31st March 2022). If you join now, you will get six months membership to see if PlantNetwork is for you. That's £20 for individual membership and fees starting at £75 for organisational membership. More information below.

This news update includes our upcoming events and a snap-shot of some of the more recent stories and articles we have included in our weekly members newsletter.

Very best wishes and keep well,
Rebecca, PlantNetwork Coordinator (office@plantnetwork.org)

24-25 November and 1-2 December 2021

The PlantNetwork conference this year celebrates 25 years of PlantNetwork by looking forward to the future of gardens and gardening. With sessions focusing on innovation in horticulture, sustainable gardens, ecosystem services and natural capital, traditional skills, plant health and climate change, we will hear from 16 speakers from research, academia, policy and, of course, gardens both in the UK and around the world. Delivered online across four afternoons, there will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and networking. The final day will include an interactive workshop and special closing session 'Gardening in 2046'.

Would you like to tell people about a project, initiative or idea you are working on that will improve sustainability, have consequences for plant health, relates to climate change or fits the conference theme of 'The Modern Garden' in some other way? If so, the lightning talks session at the PlantNetwork conference is for you!

Get in touch to find out how you could be telling the [horticultural] world about your exciting work in a short but impactful online presentation. If you are working with anyone at the moment who might have something to say, do let them know of this opportunity too.

Please contact Rebecca if you would like to find out more. Contributing a lightning talk also provides a free conference ticket.

There are now 29 episodes of the podcast featuring interviews with inspiring horticulturists and awesome individuals who work alongside horticulture. We're always keen to hear from horticulturists or those working within gardens so if you or a colleague would be willing to be interviewed, please get in touch.

Our membership period runs from 1st April to 31st March the following year. We recognise that this isn't ideal for everyone so we've introduced the six month membership period which starts on 1st October. Join now for six months (until 31st March 2022) and only pay half the standard membership fee: £7.50 for students, £20 for individuals and fees starting at £75 for organisations. Discount code is 50PN2021

Our '15 months for 12 months' offer continues for new members joining from 1st January every year.

Join Oxford Botanic Garden NEXT THURSDAY and FRIDAY to celebrate their 400th anniversary! ‘Celebrating Botanic Gardens: Past, Present and Future’, is an international, online symposium comprising 26 world renowned speakers from 22 botanic gardens, arboreta, herbaria across the globe. The conference will shine a light on the vital work botanic gardens do around the world with four fascinating sessions on horticulture, research, education and conservation. It’s free to attend and you can register for your place here. Spaces are limited so don’t miss out!

Sponsored by Plants, People, Planet and the New Phytologist Foundation.

PhD student Lucy Reed, from the University of Reading (supervised by Julie Hawkins), is researching medicinal plant use. Lucy is currently carrying out a UK-based online survey into the plants that people grow (and wild harvest) for medicinal purposes - and would like you to take part in the survey if you fulfil either criteria! A key part of Lucy's PhD research project will investigate which medicinal plants are wild harvested and grown in gardens in the UK, and the extent of their use. Take part in the survey via the link below.

The survey is open to anyone who grows or forages their own plants for medicinal purposes and responses can be submitted anonymously. Please do spread the word and send the survey to friends and colleagues who grow/harvest plants for medicinal purposes.

Keen gardeners, nursery owners, farmers, landowners and environmental groups are all being encouraged to help shape the country’s future plant biosecurity strategy, as a 10-week consultation to protect the country from the threat of plant pests and diseases was launched on the first day of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The joint Defra, Scottish and Welsh Government consultation sets out a new vision for plant health and potential measures to strengthen the existing biosecurity regime. Specifically, views are sought on:

• the effectiveness of our current plant and tree health regulations;
• ways industry and the Government can work together to support a biosecure plant supply chain and ensures the safe sourcing of planting stock;
• how we enhance the nation’s technical capability, using innovative science and technology to keep pace with emerging threats and ensure preparedness for the future; and,
• tougher action to protect against biosecurity risks associated with trees susceptible to high-risk pests and diseases.

The new strategy will align with forthcoming GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy, ensuring a joined-up approach to the restoration and improvement of the environment as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan where we have committed to improving biosecurity.

The consultation closes on 30 November 2021 and can be found here.

The Kew Mutual Improvement Society (KIMS) was founded by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1871, with the aim of providing students of botany and horticulture with the opportunity to broaden their understanding of a wide range of subjects relating to the profession. With time, KMIS also became an invigorating space for horticultural conversation where experts from across the field could come together to share their passion. KMIS is a non-profit student-run organisation based in Kew Gardens with a goal to reach as broad an audience as possible and this is reflected in the diversity of speakers and topics covered in their lecture series.

Lectures include insights into how gardens and green spaces run behind the scenes, environmental projects, and cutting-edge research. They also cover a range of topics from vegetable growing, keeping houseplants, community projects, and some of the country's most beautiful gardens and green spaces. There is something in this lecture series for everyone, whether you are a professional in the industry, a student, a keen amateur, or just curious to discover more about how you can bring plants and nature into your own lives!

Please see the programme of speakers here. Tickets will be on sale soon - with attendance online or live in the Lady Lisa Sainsbury Lecture Theatre at RBG Kew.

Bgen are pleased to announce the programme for their online Annual Conference on 10th (am) and 11th (pm) November.

With the UK hosting the UN Conference of Climate Change in Glasgow in November this year, there is heightened awareness of and commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergency. The conference is themed around climate change and will look at how plants can be the focus for action in our botanic gardens, opens spaces and heritage sites.

Join bgen to hear speakers from the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada bringing knowledge, good practice and inspiration from their education, community engagement and sustainability programmes.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has published a landmark State of the World’s Trees report. The report, compiling work led by the Global Tree Assessment (GTA), is the culmination of five years of research to identify major gaps in tree conservation efforts. It is one of the first assessments of the world’s threatened trees.

Examining the globe’s 60,000 tree species, it reveals that 30% (17,500) of tree species are currently at risk of extinction. That means there are twice the number of threatened tree species globally than threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.

Over 440 tree species are right on the brink of extinction, the report reveals, meaning they have fewer than 50 individuals remaining in the wild. These species are found all over the world, from the Mulanje cedar in Malawi, with only a few remaining individuals on Mulanje Mountain, to the Menai whitebeam found only in North Wales, which has only 30 trees remaining, to a species of alani (Melicope balloui) found only in Hawai’i that has not recently been sighted in the wild.

The report finds hope for the future, however, as conservation efforts led by the botanical community worldwide are growing. Identifying which trees are at risk and ensuring these are protected is the most effective way to prevent extinction and restore endangered species. The report reveals that at least 64% of all tree species can be found in at least one protected area, and about 30% can be found in botanic gardens, seed banks, or other ex situ collections, but further action is needed.

The James Hutton Institute are conducting a short survey to better understand the plant health risks (plant pests and pathogens) associated with habitat creation and/or habitat restoration. They are interested in finding out how aware those involved in habitat creation/restoration are of the potential plant health risks, what risk assessments are used and what guidelines tare followed to minimise any risks identified. The research team are also interested in understanding what, if any, new guidance with respect to plant health and habitat restoration/creation is required.

PLEASE help with this study. The survey begins with a consent form and then asks a number of multiple choice questions that should take around 15 minutes to complete. You can click the button below or copy and paste this URL into your internet browser:
http://hutton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaByUVtNN7wPWjY

Responses are sought from all involved in habitat restoration/creation in whatever capacity from across the UK: please do forward the survey link on to any colleagues for whom it would be relevant. The survey will close at the end of November.

The survey is run by Dr Ruth Mitchell from the James Hutton Institute on behalf of  Scotland's Plant Health Centre of Expertise and NatureScot .

The Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) was formed in January 2020 and is aimed at facilitating collaboration, education and innovation for all horticulturists under 35. YPHA is also challenging perceptions of working in horticulture for school-leavers and is a driving force in encouraging young people to engage with plants, gardens and horticulture as garden centre customers (and garden visitors!). Best of all - membership is free so if you are under 35, do get involved!

PlantNetwork will be speaking to Mollie Higginson, one of the founders of the YPHA, in a forthcoming podcast episode. Watch this space for more information!