Londoners can take home a living piece of the Barbican Conservatory this December, as the venue offers a final round of plant cuttings before closing for a major restoration.
Applications for the last public adoption event are open now, with the event taking place on December 2.
Barbican Conservatory is giving away free plant cuttings before restoration closure
Since August, thousands of cuttings from the Conservatory’s temperate and arid plant collection have been given away to the public in partnership with plant reuse initiative Wayward Plants.
The cuttings include giant-leafed monstera, glossy ficus and purple-and-green tradescantia, propagated from plants that have grown at the Barbican for decades.
The plants were originally planted in the 1980s on the roof of the Barbican Theatre, around its 100-foot flytower, before being moved into the multi-storey glasshouse and cared for by the Barbican’s horticultural team.
Visitors to the adoption events can explore the Conservatory, learn about its collection and hear about the plans for its future before taking a cutting home.
Why the Barbican Conservatory is closing
The giveaway is part of preparations for the Barbican’s £240 million Renewal programme, which will see the Conservatory and the main Barbican site close until June 2029.
Work on the Conservatory begins in early 2027, while the wider Barbican site is expected to shut from June 2028 to June 2029.
The renovation will replace ageing waterproofing, heating, glazing and irrigation systems installed around 40 years ago.
It will also improve step-free access, widen paths, add a new lift and enable the Conservatory to open daily rather than only on selected days.
What happens to the plants
Not every plant will leave the Barbican: the renewed Conservatory will combine returning plants with carefully selected new specimens.
But the adoption scheme means many propagated cuttings will continue growing in London homes while the building is transformed.
Dr Philippa Simpson, the Barbican’s Chief Operating Officer, described the programme as “the beginning of something new,” saying that thousands of plants putting down roots across London will help lay the foundations for a greener and more welcoming Conservatory.
Marta Lowcewicz, the Barbican’s Head Gardener, said she and her team have nurtured many of the plants from seedlings over her 16 years working there.
She added that the renovation will create a better environment for the collection while opening the space to more people.
How to get a cutting
The final public plant adoption event takes place on December 2. Applications opened on Thursday, October 29, and places must be booked through the Barbican website.
The ballot is open for two weeks and will close on Thursday 19 November.
Young Barbican members will also have their own opportunity to adopt a plant on November 29.
For anyone who has ever wandered through the Barbican’s concrete walkways and stumbled upon its lush, hidden greenhouse, this is a rare chance to bring a fragment of that unexpected urban jungle home.
