Our Conservation Work

Our new plant committee

In July 2025 we formed a new plant committee, and its priority will be to establish our philosophy and work plan on conservation including our approach to propagation, data, identification and seed distribution. This work will be shared here on our website and for members through our ongoing communications.

In the meantime, below is some information which will help to understand some or our work in this area. 

Our charitable objectives

As a UK registered charity, the Rhododendron Camellia and Magnolia Group has charitable objectives.
This is what our objectives say about our work around conservation:

To advance the education of the public in the plant genera rhododendron, camellia and magnolia and in the conservation and protection thereof by, but not by way of limitation:

1. a) ensuring continuity in the care of collections of the genera in public gardens by supporting professional gardeners and taxonomists through travel sponsorship and

other appropriate means

1. b) operating a website
2. c) organising shows
3. d) producing literature
4. e) acting as an advisor by assisting in identification, conservation and reproduction of unusual or rare species or cultivars.

Propagation

We aim to identify and arrange propagation of rare and endangered plants by commissioning cuttings, layering, grafting and micro-propagation as appropriate. These can then be distributed to plant collections around the country.

Our Collections

The Group has established and is responsible for the following collections.The goal of our collections is conservation, education and research.

• Species Rhododendron Collection at RHS Wisley, Surrey
• Alan Hardy Collection of Rustica Azaleas at RHS Wisley, Surrey
• Hardy hybrid Rhododendron Collection at Ramster Gardens, Surrey
• John Bond Collection of Large Leaved Rhododendrons at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens Dorset
• Magnolia x lobneri Collection at Harcourt Arboretum, Oxfordshire
• Amos Pickard Magnolia Collection at Canterbury Cathedral, Kent
• Camellia Species Collection at Ness Botanic Garden, Wirral
• Rhododendron Subsection Cinnabarina at Minterne Gardens, Dorset

National Collections

We support our members and partner with Plant Heritage (with which we share a common aim to support the conservation of plants) to protect living collections of our genera where these are part of national collections