A WONDERFUL selection of unusual, uncommon and beautiful plants to give colour and interest to gardens this spring and summer will be available at a special market in West Devon this month. Choice plants that are seen in the best gardens and can be difficult to find will be at the National Council for the Conservation of Plants & Gardens (NCCPG) spring plant market in Tavistock Pannier Market on Sunday March 18. NCCPG Markets are a plant lover's paradise and an opportunity to make a serious contribution to conservation. The NCCPG aims to create a living archive of plants and residents can help by buying and growing unusual or uncommon plants and perhaps even help save them from extinction. A spokesman for the NCCPG said: 'Many plants are lost to cultivation by changes in fashion, through climate change and even de-forestation. 'Increasingly we find plants with important medicinal properties, so keeping what we have is essential.' There will be 30 specialist nurseries from across the South West under one roof. Newcomers to the market this spring are the RHS at Rosemoor Garden with Alpines, Treseders Nursery near St Austell with shrubs largely from Australia and New Zealand and Nicholas Lock from Mevagissey who has trees and large shrubs. Two National Collection holders will be present — Charlie Pridham from Chacewater near Truro will have a wide range of climbers for indoors and outdoors including Jasmines, Lonicera, Aconitums and hops. Mervyn Bennallack will be bringing Aster novi-belgii and a selection of herbaceous plants. This will be an opportunity to see a range of species and cultivars not generally available and to seek expert advice. The plant market will be open between 10am and 3pm.
