Orchids National Plant Collection
We have 650 different species in our National Collection of Pleurothallidinae Orchids
Made up of more than 1,400 enchantingly colourful, exotic plants, we keep a large National Collection of orchids. This means we’ve pledged to care for, develop and conserve these wonderful species for future generations. Our Plant Heritage National Collection of Pleurothallidinae orchids was first started in the early 1990s by Steve Manning, a private orchid grower from Nantwich, Cheshire. It’s probably the largest orchid collection on public display in North West England.
You’ll be amazed by these showstoppers, which we grow in our high-tech greenhouse. As they flower, we put them on display in the Plant Project for all our visitors to enjoy.
Today we have more than 1,400 of these truly special plants, originating from South America, where many are now threatened with extinction in the wild. Our collection helps safeguard this species from being wiped out altogether.
Worldwide there are about 30,000 known orchid species. It is the largest flowering plant family, with species living in many different climates and conditions from tropical forests to seashores, semi-deserts and tundras. You’ll find them in every colour of the rainbow, from sunny yellow to darkest purple.
From the 18th Century onwards, a growing demand for exotic plants led to orchids being taken from the wild and shipped to Europe in their thousands, but they rarely lived for more than a couple of years. Today, the trade in wild orchids, and many other plants, is illegal, and is still a threat to their conservation, with social media opening new opportunities for these plants to be sold on the black market.
Furthermore, many orchid species in the wild are also at risk from habitat loss and climate change.
Orchids on sale in UK florists and shops today are not taken from the wild, but have been legally grown in special nurseries.
National Collections of plants are run by the Plant Heritage Scheme, which we support. There are more than 600 collections around the country and they are an important way of conserving plant species and cultivars.
For more details see the Plant Heritage website.
Our award-winning gardens are home to...
2000 carnivorous plants
We're home to over 2000 carnivorous plants, making our collection one of the largest ever in the UK.
Over 130 species
These incredible plants are kept in special conditions at the zoo.
Over 1,500 orchids
We look after more than 1,500 orchids originating from South America.
