Kew Gardens' 250th Anniversary {Scented Paths & Fragrant Addresses - Green News}
Today was the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Kew Gardens in London. As an illustration of these historic lawns, there is a beautiful photo gallery of the gardens that can be contemplated here.
But beyond the beauty of the gardens, some serious botanical conservation work is in progress, which has far-reaching global implications. The goal is no less than saving life on earth...
"The 250th anniversary exhibition which the Queen will view is devoted to Kew's ark: the millennium seed bank which will this year hit the target of keeping samples of 10% of all the seed-bearing plants in the world - on track for 25% by 2020.
The bank is at the Royal Horticultural Society's Wakehurst Place, because Thames-side Kew was judged too vulnerable to flooding, or a crash by a plane heading for nearby Heathrow. Staff from the gardens are joining botanists all over the world in collecting, identifying, cleaning and storing seed in giant freezers. The collection is not a museum: every 10 years scientists will check the seed is still viable and can be propagated to save the world from some all too imaginable ecological disaster."
The Kew Garden there are two ladanistirios