Visitors to Orchid Christmas (6-9pm Wednesday) this week will have a chance to help us save Laelia gouldiana. When we featured the species on the blog (day 338) we noted that it is extinct in the wild in Mexico, despite being an easy plant in cultivation.

Students have come up with a plan to make use of the various clones we have to produce a big crop of seed that can be used to grow plants and offer them to schools in the UK and around the world to maintain the species in a new habitat (schools). What we need is help with pollinating all these flowers and so that’s where our visitors will help out on Wednesday.

If any schools would like to get in touch and book some plants for the future please leave your details here as a comment or e-mail wsbeorchids@gmail.com

The photo shows some of the team getting the plants ready for Orchid Christmas  (left to right) Joe Weyman, Otto Johnson, Louis Wheeler, Tallis Inger-Flecker, Charlie Balch, Jude Diniz Sanches and Ruby Boxall.