Cate had inadvertently stumbled on the most biodiverse place on the planet. The 535-acre garden is a living laboratory for ecosystem health and is arranged with a phytogeographic planting system, using often endangered species from around the world. In a few minutes, you can be transported from an American prairie, planted with seeds collected from threatened grasslands, to a Himalayan glade. But it is the sealed vaults of the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) that hold the greatest biodiversity. This incredible ‘insurance policy against extinction’, as Cate describes it, contains over 2.4 billion seeds from more than 40,000 plant species, which have been collected with the help and collaboration of over 275 partners in nearly 100 countries and territories.
Interestingly, it is sited in one of the world’s most nature-depleted nations, according to a 2023 State of Nature report. The irony of this is not lost on Cate. ‘As an outsider, I have always viewed the landscape here as being benign, beautiful and abundant. Then you learn that 97 per cent of English wildflower meadows have disappeared since the 1930s.’ Suddenly, this green and pleasant land seems a lot less hospitable. ‘As this country grapples with what its future-facing identity should be, I feel the MSB is the most positive weapon in this country’s arsenal,’ she continues.
Cate in one of the wild meadow areas that have so inspired her. ‘I want to help to spread the word about this unique and stunning landscape,’ she says. Through her advocacy, she hopes to raise awareness of the extraordinary work of Wakehurst’s Seed Bank
Sophia Spring
Last year, the actor became Wakehurst’s inaugural ambassador, raising awareness of its work and helping to drive investment in the MSB, as its projects with international partners rely on philanthropic funding. ‘Every government talks about fuel and food security, but part of their plan needs to be investment in the work that seed banks do,’ insists Cate. ‘While the corridors of power argue about the essential things for human life to continue, scientists at the MSB and partner organisations are quietly doing the work to ensure food security. We can’t wait for political solutions.’
Before we met, I took a walk through the ‘American Prairie’ at Wakehurst, planted in 2020, where towering Eryngium yuccifolium sways in the breeze and tickseed lends the meadow a rich yellow glow. It is yet to reach full bloom, but it was abuzz with the pollinators that are vital for food production. Just one per cent of North America’s native prairies remain, so, in 2019, a team of Wakehurst horticulturists went to handpick millions of wild seeds, with the help of local partners, to place in the vaults and grow in the garden. In the future, some of the seeds can regenerate the prairies, while the meadow at Wakehurst can teach horticulturists and gardeners valuable lessons about planting for climate resilience as UK summers heat up.
Comments are closed.