Botanic Garden Profile Gullele Botanic Garden, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): Current status, Challenges and Opportunities

Gullele Botanic Garden (GBG) was founded through a joint venture between Addis Ababa University and Addis Ababa City Government. Since its establishment in 2010, it has developed its infrastructure and carried out a range of activities related to plant conservation, research, environmental education and ecotourism in line with its vision and mission. Key activities described in this paper are the five different uses of GBG land; the installation of a weather station; and the construction of a mini-greenhouse for plant acclimatisation, the multipurpose Agora II (an eco-friendly building with a green roof), a thematic garden and a nursery. The lists of endemic plants (65), large mammals (11) and endemic bird species recorded are presented in Appendices I, II and III respectively. The main activities and works carried out by GBG are not yet widely known to local and international communities. Through describing the garden’s current status, challenges and opportunities, this paper aims to increase awareness among the scientific community and more widely of GBG’s activities and intentions for protecting Ethiopia’s flora.

Knowledge, standards, 'plantology' and mentors: promoting excellence in horticulture for everyone

The Sibbaldia & PlantNetwork Conference 2020 opened with a free session. Participants were required to register in advance and registration was open to anyone with access to the internet. 300 participants registered and 142 attended on the day. A recording of the session was available to view for six months after the event. The format of the session was a chaired panel discussion which explored what excellence means in horticulture. Topics were shaped by participants’ entries into an online poll which collated responses to the question ‘What does excellence in horticulture mean to you?’ and a word cloud was created from these entries. The chair navigated a discussion through the ideas which were of greatest significance to participants, according to the responses given in the poll. Panellists presented their own experiences on the subjects discussed and shared how their organisations approach them. The result was a lively and informative discussion between five experts in the fields of horticulture and education which ranged particularly around the knowledge educators want to share, how standards are defined, and what institutions can do to foster excellence. The discussion moved on to how more young people can be drawn into horticulture and subsequent professional development opportunities.

Sibbaldia procumbens: An icon redrawn

A new cover has been created for Sibbaldia the International Journal of Botanic Garden Horticulture to commemorate the 350 Anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2020. The Sibbald Trust, which supports the work of the Garden, agreed to fund the commissioning of a botanical drawing of the alpine species Sibbaldia procumbens L. to be used as the cover image for volume 20 and subsequent volumes. The drawing and accompanying colour wash overlay will become part of the RBGE Florilegium - a collection of botanical drawings that form a visual record of the Living Collection and a reflection of the scientific and horticultural interests of the institute. This article describes the process of creating a painting of a small plant with minute details. Colour images of the plant and the drawings are also reproduced.

Horticulture in 2020

To close the Promoting Excellence in Horticulture Conference in October 2020, a video consisting of recorded opinion pieces was created with contributions from a wide range of individuals working in horticulture. Contributors were asked to provide their perspectives and experiences on four topics which the conference convenors considered to be prominent in 2020: COVID-19, Brexit, plant health, and diversity and inclusion in horticulture. We consider their contributions here.

Can horticulturists save the world?: A reflection on the curation of plant collections

Having worked with plant collections for 30 years perspectives change, particularly as we face increasing environmental challenges. Collections celebrate plant diversity whether it’s grown for science, conservation, education or for joy. These all remain strong and valid reasons, whilst the increasing awareness of environmental issues and notably the challenges of a changing climate bring a new emphasis. Horticulturists have been at the forefront of recognising these impacts, adapting our management and noting the changing behaviour of plants. In our collections, cultivated plants will be increasingly important as we adapt and mitigate, placing a new emphasis on conserving and utilising them. Connected is the increased recognition of the value of plants and green spaces to our well-being. These challenges raise the importance and relevance of plant diversity and horticulture to the wider society. So can horticulturists save the World? We will certainly have a major contribution to make.

Understanding and attributing cultural heritage values to individual plants

The cultural, both tangible and intangible heritage value of individual plant specimens are rarely included in discussions regarding botanical and cultural heritage, whilst the more scientific and conservation values of a plant as a genetic resource or habitat component are more defined and understood. Nassauer (1995) acknowledges that cultural concepts of nature are different from scientific concepts of ecological function. Widening multidisciplinary discussion and an increased consensus in the definition and role of intangible cultural heritage have all facilitated the potential of cultural heritage plant values being understood by the heritage sector. How can such heritage values be assessed, are there existing methodologies within the heritage and collections management sectors that can be used for living plants? Would this heritage value be passed on to a plant’s offspring, is heritage a tradeable commodity and how would such heritage status affect future management?

The biosecurity risks of seeds in a botanic garden context

Seeds present a naturally occurring package of germplasm with ideal attributes for collection, distribution and, in the case of orthodox seed, long term storage. From a phytosanitary perspective seeds are often considered a relatively low-risk option for movement of germplasm across borders. Most published data are concerned with diseases of commercial crops and little is known about the risks associated with wild collected, non-commercial seeds. However, there is demonstrable risk associated with the movement of any plant germplasm which can pose a risk to both crops and the wider environment. Presented here are a discussion on seed standards and the difference between seed borne and seed transmitted pathogens, with case studies presented to highlight the risks associated with informal seed systems and wild collected seeds in particular. Additionally, suggestions on how to address phytosanitary issues are presented including awareness raising measures aimed at improving biosecurity procedures during collection and before long-term storage of seed accessions.

Student Project: Horticultural protocols for experimental studies of eyebrights (Euphrasia, Orobanchaceae)

Parasitic plants are particularly challenging to cultivate as the growth conditions must be suitable for the parasite, the host, and their interaction. Here, we review our progress growing British native eyebrights (Euphrasia), a group of hemiparasitic plants found in diverse habitats in Britain and Ireland. We consider the protocols required to grow them under a range of conditions, including the laboratory, in pot trials, in cultivated fields, and in the wild. We highlight the need to use seed stratification to break seed dormancy, to replicate planting to overcome low seed viability, and to manage host plants to avoid competition. While Euphrasia can be successfully grown in different environments more work is required to develop reliable horticultural protocols for growing plants under natural conditions.

The Climate Change Alliance: botanic garden horticulturists as agents for change

In 2016, the publication of the pioneering Landscape Succession Strategy heralded a horticultural response by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria to climate change risks faced by their living collections. This initiative led to the botanical world’s first Climate Change Summit in 2018 and the subsequent establishment of the Climate Change Alliance for Botanic Gardens. This article describes some of the anticipated climatic changes facing the Melbourne Gardens site, the strategic management of collections when considering these challenges, and how other botanical organisations can benefit from this approach through collaboration and sharing of expertise.

Our garden heritage is in our hands: protecting yesterday, today and tomorrow

Heritage organisations take responsibility for the conservation and protection of places and objects deemed in some way significant. That protection usually involves, by necessity, the management of change. In garden heritage, that pace of change can be particularly rapid and unpredictable, with the greater movement of pests and diseases across the world and the impacts of global climate change both acting as particular accelerants in our time. Our sector needs to achieve increased resilience and responsiveness to secure our heritage gardens and their plants for future generations, keeping them relevant, and without meaningful loss or diminution. We need to show that we understand our plants and places, that we have teased the golden thread of heritage significance from the past so that it is clearly visible and can be shared, valued and cast forward into the future for succeeding generations. We need practitioners with the right skills to care for our heritage, building from garden apprenticeships and horticultural students through to professional gardeners, craftspeople, managers and thought leaders. Above all we need to work together to demonstrate the power and potential of our places and plants for the benefit of society.