 |
 |
You are here: Home >
Introduction
Where would we be without plants?
We like to think of ourselves as a nation of gardeners and plant lovers. But our relationship with plants is much more complex than this.
At the most fundamental level, we could not exist without plants. The very air that we breathe is simply a by-product of photosynthesis. Plants feed us, clothe us, provide our fuel and shelter, and even help to keep us healthy.
How plants have shaped our lives
Plants have played their part in history too. They have been responsible, quite literally, for making and breaking nations.
Early America made its wealth from cotton, timber and tobacco. Quinine allowed Europeans to settle in the tropics, but conversely, the potato famine of the 1840s was a contributory factor to mass emigration from Ireland to America. While in the Caribbean, the cultivation and processing of cane sugar was directly responsible for the rise of the slave trade.
And there’s no doubt that plants will shape our future too. How we treat these life-giving resources today will dictate our quality of life in the future.
Supporters
Janet and Maurice Elliott
Pamela Salter
Mr & Mrs C Morgan
T Kieser, photographer