Finding our audiences
The Garden exists to tell as many people as possible about plants. As part of the Glasshouse Restoration Project we want to help lots of new people to see our plants. Through research we know that right now, we have lots of visitors, but they are all quite similar. We have less visitors from ethnic minorities. We have less visitors who don't have a lot of money. We have less visitors who are under the age of 40. We have less visitors from the LGBTQIA community. Therefore, we are not telling as many people as possible about plants.
Super soil
You might not think that soil needs to be restored, but it does. Over time the nutrients (the food plants take out of soil) get used up. You can put some of these nutrients back using fertilisers. Fertilisers make the soil last longer but can't be used forever.
Plants have secrets premiere
In November we ran our first Plants have Secrets project. Young people learned about psychoactive plants and how to make films
The Dolmen Hoard
From this month our Glasshouses are closed to visitors. This is an important part of our Glasshouse Restoration Project. The glasshouses have to be taken apart to fix every fit of them. The glass will be carefully taken out of the windows and walls. Every inch of the wood will be looked at to make sure it is safe. Any wood or glass that is too old or damaged will be replaced.
Coco props
When our glasshouses are fully repaired, we will be able to grow Theobroma cacao (the cocoa plant) in the Tropical Corridor. Cocoa will be one of the star plants in our repaired glasshouse and visitors will be able to learn all about its history here at the garden. Right now, we do not have many healthy living cocoa plants and so we need to grow some from seeds.
Digging for sustainability
If you visit the Garden this month you will be able to see a big change. We have dug a great big hole in the lower lawn. Don't worry the hole won't be there for long. We have dug it as part of our work to make the Garden more sustainable.
A holiday home for plants
Restoring our glasshouses is hard for lots of reasons. One of the reasons is that when we fix a glasshouse we need to take all the plants out of it. The problem is that there is a reason that the plants live in a glasshouse. These plants like things to be a certain way. They like it when the temperature stays the same and when the water in the air and soil stays the same. The Garden doesn’t have any spare glasshouses that the plants can live in until their homes are fixed. This is why as part of our Glasshouse Restoration Project we have built a temporary polytunnel.
Finding our voice
As part of our Glasshouse Restoration Project we will be making a new audio guide for the Garden. The audio guide will tell people about the Garden and its plants. We want the new guide to represent the many stories the Garden has to tell.