National Trust's secret £700,000 complex keeps rare plants safe

At secret Devon location, up to 12,000 plants are preserved from disease, global warming, thieves and careless tramplingThe fence, constructed of two different types of mesh and topped with barbed wire, is designed to keep out rabbits, deer and, perhaps most importantly, human invaders. Strict bio-security measures – everybody is required to walk through a de-contamination area – are in place to ward off invisible plague and pestilence. You get the feeling that if they could build a big bubble over the whole place, they would.This is the National Trust's new plant conservation centre, a secret £700,000 complex built to ensure the survival of rare and endangered flora threatened by disease, global warming, unsympathetic farming practices, plant thieves and the trampling of careless animals and people. The new base was built after a disease outbreak at the trust previous plant conservation centre.Hidden away in a series of glasshouses and poly-tunnels...

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