Marden Gardeners have been helping us to raise new plants from seeds with local provenance for reintroduction in Marden for a while. But we’re moving things up a notch this year.
We now have a dedicated micro-nursery facility so that our plants have space to grow. We’re very grateful to those whose generous support that has made this a reality. There’s a potential forest of young Chequer (wild service) trees in development among other species including the Dyer’s Greenweed shown below.
Sneezewort, a relative of the more common Yarrow, is new to our programme in 2025. This is only known at a single location in our area. In the 1899 Flora of Kent, this species is described as ‘rather local’ and that it ‘grows between Marden and Staplehurst.’ We believe that our seeds came from the exact spot referred to in the Flora. We were allowed to collect a small amount of seed last autumn, these have germinated well, and the first plants have been reintroduced onto two farmland sites this week. We hope they will go on to flower and self-seed in the next few years. But why should you care? Well, if we don’t here, exactly who will? Those Victorian botanists cared enough to log exactly where the plant grew in our area, so it’s only right that we try to keep it alive here.
Sneezewort – who cares? We do!
Dyer’s Greenweed in its new home, a year after planting.
