PlantNetwork publishes a regular newsletter containing news and information from botanic gardens, arboreta and holders of other documented plant collections in Britain and Ireland. This newsletter is only available to members of PlantNetwork. Institutional members receive several copies of the Newsletter for circulation amongst their staff.
- From the Chairman of PlantNetwork
- Recent meetings, upcoming meetings.
- Upcoming Meetings:
- CBD and CITES for Gardens
- Micropropagation for Gardens
- Pests, Diseases and Invasives: running a clean garden
- Reports of PlantNetwork Meetings
- Appointments, Awards, Staff & Training
- Graham Dear has taken over from Derek Spurr as manager at Greenwich Park. Derek will continue to work for the Royal Parks as project manager for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; the 2012 equestrian events will be based at Greenwich Park.
- At the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Kevin Lamb resigned as Director in September 2009; Jessica Gould and Laura Davies, Heads of Horticulture, took voluntary redundancy in December.
- Under the restructuring at the Royal Horticultural Society, Jim Gardiner has been appointed Chief Curator for all the RHS gardens. Colin Crosbie is one of three new garden managers at Wisley. (two more are yet to be appointed). Among those who have left or are leaving the RHS are Inga Grimsey, Mark Godfrey, Matthew Wilson, Andrew Smith; Giles Coode-Adams is to stand down as President. Tom Brown is leaving Wisley to be Head Gardener at Parham House and Gardens
- At the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Joanna Higson started as Plant Records Officer at the end of November 2009, Janet Pratley started as Volunteer Coordinator in autumn 2009 and David Jewell (formerly at the RHS Garden Wisley) will start as Head of Collections in mid-January 2010. Wolfgang Bopp is Director.
- Robert Grant was appointed as Head of Gardens and Designed Landscapes at the National Trust for Scotland in September 2009. Robert has more than 20 years’ experience in management of historic gardens with NTS. prior to which he worked at the RHS Garden Wisley and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He succeeds Jan Haenraets, who has left NTS after 6 years.
- David Knott has been appointed as Deputy Director of Horticulture & Curator of Living Collections at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
- Congratulations to Professor Mary Gibby at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on the award of OBE for services to botany.
- Dr Bruce Pavlik has been appointed Head of Restoration Ecology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is currently professor at Mills College , California, and will take up the post at Kew fully in June 2010.
- Peter Halliwell is the new Threatened Plants Project Coordinator at Plant Heritage. He studied Garden Design at Capel Manor College and has a degree in Horticulture from Writtle College.
- Simon Toomer was appointed as the new Director of Westonbirt – the National Arboretum, in August 2009. Simon has been at Westonbirt or the past 10 years, most recently as Curator.
- Reg Maxwell retired in December 2009 after many years as Curator of Belfast Botanic Gardens. We wish him a long and happy retirement.
- Kew Diploma in Horticulture
- Dartington Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture
- Tropical Plant Identification Course, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- International Diploma in Plant Conservation Strategies, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- International Diploma in Botanic Garden Education, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and BGCI
- Historic and Botanic Garden Bursary Scheme: New funding for 2010-12
- LEMUR Training Wildlife Professionals
- Skills for the Future
- GROW – Careers in Horticulture
- Training in Zoo Horticulture
- New Award in Zoological Horticulture
- CONSERVATION
- Volunteers for Rare Plants Programme in Mauritius
- Wildlife Gardening Day at Wisley
- 2010 International Year of Biodiversity
- Interconnected Earth
- Breathing Planet
- IUCN Red List ‘Species of the Day’
- PESTS and DISEASES
- Fera Plant Health
- Box tree caterpillar
- Dill and coriander leaf blight
- Phytopthora report
- Biosecurity working group
- Forestry Board on Pests and Diseases
- Labelling Invasive Species
- NEWS
- Quest at the Harcourt Arboretum
- Tornado at Hilliers
- National Trust Trees
- Caley Commemorative Trees Planted
- Phenology Project on European Aspen
- Endangered Maples
- Yet More New Whitebeams – link to plant-talk.org
- Play Facilities at Hillier Gardens
- Flora of Iraq project
- Royal Society 350th Anniversary
- RHS Science Strategy 2009-14
- Progress at Dundee Botanic Garden
- Naked Ambition
- International Year of Youth
- John Hope Gateway
- Restoration of the Fernery at Benmore
- OPAL Surveys and Projects Continue
- Dunham Massey Winter Garden
- PUBLICATIONS
- EXHIBITIONS & CONFERENCES
- Becoming an LOtC and Growing Schools Garden
- Know Your Plants – developing skills for better science, horticulture and communication
- Growing Schools
- Darwin Activities
- Great Plant Hunt
- Survival Rivals
- Darwin Trail at Chester Zoo
- Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory
- Quest at the Harcourt Arboretum