Doomscrolling doesn’t work, but could this?
Devil’s bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
MHS-grown plant in its new woodland-edge habitat. Only found on one local site- until now.
YOUR CHANCE TO HELP HEAL NATURE IN MARDEN
You read an article online, suggesting that it’s too late to do anything positive to stop the relentless tide of extinctions. What to do? Write to your MP? Throw paint at a handy work of art?
What are we doing with this? We collect seeds from selected local wildflowers from species known to be declining in our area, grow them on in controlled conditions, and then release them back into the wild.
Why not just buy seeds? Much of what is sold in the trade often comes from abroad, and may not be exactly right for our wild spaces.
Putting them back - Releasing plants into wild spaces shouldn’t be attempted without expert guidance. We don’t want to repeat earlier ecological disasters like the introduction of Giant Hogweed or Himalayan Balsam– still a menace after years of measures to remove them from our riverbanks.
Right Plant, Right Place - Probably the best advice to any gardener in any circumstances, this applies even more crucially to this project. Normally our release sites are where there are previous records of the species, or in habitats very similar to where the plants grow. Hopefully, they will thrive, set seed and become a new population, not a problem.
What can I do to help? Join MHS’s team, and become a plant fosterer. You’ll be doing something really worthwhile, and helping your community’s nature recovery. Contact Judy Taylor to learn more.
Don’t try this at home! We have the landowner’s permission to collect small quantities of seed without harming the plant population. These are tough, wild plants, which could dominate your garden if you plant them there.
HELP US KEEP THESE BEAUTIFUL PLANTS GROWING IN MARDEN – OVER TO YOU!
Keep scrolling to see more plants in our project.
Written by Lou Forester, Marden Wildlife Group
IN OUR 2025
PROGRAMME
Chequer, Wild Service Tree (Sorbus torminalis) In full bloom in a local wood. We’re raising seeds from this scarce tree, so is Westonbirt National Arboretum.
Dyer’s Greenweed (Genista tinctoria)
Classic plant of Marden Meadow SSSI- Kew/Wakehurst is also raising this from wild-collected seed.
Betony (Betonica officinalis)
A declining favourite of hedgerows. This plant’s parent lives in Staplehurst, it’s now happily settled in Marden after MHS grew it from seed.
Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)
Much prettier than the cultivated forms of this. Another scarce Wealden plant only known in one location in Marden – so far.
Although Guelder Rose (Viburnum Opulus) is regularly seen in gardens, Kent Botany advises this is usually not our true native plant. Our plants are.