More than 2,000 cuttings from the Barbican Conservatory will be given away from 19 August before its three-year restoration begins in early 2027.
The Barbican is inviting the public to take home plant cuttings from its Conservatory ahead of its three-year restoration in early 2027.
Around 2,000 cuttings from the Conservatory’s collection of arid plants will be made available at adoption events run with Wayward Plants, a plant reuse initiative, as the Conservatory is emptied for restoration.
Its plants include monstera, ficus and tradescantia, and will be propagated at the Wayward Plants Reuse Centre.
The Barbican said visitors will be encouraged to make a donation when booking a free ticket to its plant adoption events on 19 August, 13 September and 2 December. Young Barbican members will have their own adopt a plant event on 29 November. Donations will contribute to the Conservatory’s restoration.
The Conservatory was planted in the 1980s on the roof of the Barbican Theatre and is now home to 800 species of plants, but its infrastructure is in need of upgrade. Waterproofing, heating, glazing and irrigation systems are to be replaced in the project, part of the Barbican Renewal programme, which will also revitalise the Foyers and Lakeside Terrace between 2025 and 2030.
From early 2027, the Conservatory will be emptied so the space can be re-waterproofed and upgraded by architects Allies and Morrison and engineers Buro Happold.
By 2030 the Conservatory is planned to be open daily with new step-free access, widened paths and a new lift, alongside environmental controls to reduce energy use.
Marta Lowcewicz, Barbican head gardener, said: “I’ve worked in the Conservatory for sixteen years and nurtured many of these plants from seedlings, so it means a lot to me and my team that so many will go on living in people’s homes.
“It hasn’t always been easy managing a space that wasn’t really designed around the needs of plants. That’s why I’m excited for what comes next – creating the best possible environment for the collection to thrive while opening it up for more people to enjoy.”
