Did you know that Friday 18th May is ‘Plant Fascination Day’? No, nor did we! So what’s it all about?
Well, imagine a world without plants. We rely on them for everything, yet plants are often overlooked. Now, thousands of plant scientists, botanists, florists, farmers and gardeners from all over the world are coming together to share their Fascination of Plants.
The first International Fascination of Plants Day, launched under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO, Brussels), is bringing together more than 450 institutions in 39 countries to celebrate the role of plant science in the social, environmental and economic landscape now and into the future.
Tim Smit KBE, Chief Executive of The Eden Project said “The problem with plants is that they don’t sing or dance and in an age of low concentration levels and great background noise it would be easy to think of them as the green canvas against which we lead our lives – an accessory.”
“Without plants there is no significant life on earth – other than microbes. From the air that we breathe to the water and food that sustain us, we owe it all to plants.”
In the UK alone, over 80 universities, institutes, botanic gardens, and other organisations are holding public events and activities in appreciation of how plants shape our world and everything in it.
From the space age Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre to the ancient Stonehenge landscape, events will explore how we share our planet with plants. Cambridge University Botanic Garden will explore the power of plants to provide food, drugs, energy and more. Cardiff University are providing tours around their plant science labs and hosting talks, debates and exhibitions. There will be unusual edible plants in London’s Finsbury Park with a chance to pick your own, whilst the stunning Kibble Palace of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens will have experiments for children and interactive exhibitions. There will be a chance to visit Thanet Earth, the largest glasshouse complex in the UK. The John Innes Centre is hosting an evening with plant scientists, and welcoming over 500 local schoolchildren to its site
Up to date information about the Fascination of Plants Day can be accessed via www.plantday12.eu
So, next time you send flowers or plants as a gift through Direct2florist, take time out to think about the impact plants have on the world around us.