Growing Local Flora

Growing Local Flora (or GLF) is our native plant horticulture project, through which we propagate local provenance plants for biodiversity improvement projects across Birmingham and the Black Country.

This Conservation Department project grew out of a need to source woodland flora for introducing into woodlands that have recently either been planted or regenerated naturally. These woodlands are missing the characteristic flowers, grasses and sedges of semi-natural ancient woodland as the majority of these plant species are not well adapted to move from one isolated woodland to another. Some species don’t even produce much seed and instead rely on producing long trailing stems, which root (at the nodes, where the leaves grow from the stem) to produce new plants. This means that they can only spread relatively slowly and that barriers such as roads or housing create an obvious problem!

Funded originally through the Nature Improvement Area (NIA), the Growing Local Flora project began in earnest in 2013. It offers a helping hand to these woodland plants, which are an important part of the ecosystem of the habitat, not least by providing nectar for a wide range of invertebrates, food plants for butterflies and moths and ‘food for the eyes’ for any human visitors through the beautiful displays of flowers, particularly in Spring.

The initial plant material is, in the main, collected from sites within Birmingham and the Black Country (with the landowner’s permission and following stringent ethical and ecological protocols). This means that we know that the specimen’s genetics are suited to the growing conditions in the area and that we’re not accidentally, unknowingly importing harmful genetics.  It is also more environmentally friendly, as the plants aren’t being transported miles and we’re also not running the risk of importing pests and diseases, either in or on the plants themselves, or in the soil from other parts of this country or from other countries. Shop/nursery bought plants can be grown overseas and re-imported, even if the plant’s origins are local or UK provenance.

The project still currently concentrates on woodland flora, but also expanded to include some trees and also some wetland and grassland plants, particularly those that are harder to source or introduce through green hay strewing – our preferred method of grassland creation, improvement and restoration.

The project is based at our head office and Environment Centre, Centre of the Earth and our Environment and Education Centre, EcoPark. Staff, volunteers and other groups, including Wild Experience Day corporate groups work together to look after and multiply the stock plants kept at both sites. We also work with schools, community groups (any group with a growing space!) and individual volunteers who can’t come into our centres or volunteer days to produce plants that eventually go out to sites across Birmingham and the Black Country to help Nature’s Recovery and help us get back to a #WildBritain.

Click here To find out more about volunteering with us on this project.

No experience is needed and there’s no requirement to commit to a certain number of days – just come along and join in when you can – we would love to see you and have your help to protect and improve your local wildlife.