Matt Heasman ‘ Rhododendron Conservation’ 7th November @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm ‘Rhododendron Conservation’
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Speaker: Matt Heasman
Given the legacy left to us by the past great plant hunters,
The Rhododendron Species Conservation Group (
https://rscg.org.uk/) was set up in order to look into what rhododendrons are still growing in our gardens. It had become clear that a lot of great plants that had been known over the years were now either struggling or dead. Climate change, disease and other various causes lead the group to believe that we were losing these important plants from the past at a faster rate as the years went on. At a similar time the IUCN Rhododendron Red List was published and it made for some uneasy reading.
With this in mind the group have worked to identify, then propagate and setup some ex-situ collections in order to remedy this situation.
Who knows, they may even be able to help in some small way with global protection of some endangered plants.
Matt is an amateur gardener with a deep interest in Rhododendrons and their cultivation. He have grown plants from seed, by cuttings and grafting as well as other forms of propagation, so has a wealth of knowledge about their cultivation. He has also been lucky enough to visit some of the Asian countries to see these magnificent plants in the wild.
Entrance is free.
Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, RBGE, 20a Inverleith Row, EH3 5LR. Lothian Bus Routes 8, 9, 23, 27.The talk is sponsored by the
The Caley and Plant Heritage, SE Scotland Group (
https://www.plantheritage.org.uk/)
