London volunteers grew and planted more than 1,000 tower mustard plants

Volunteers in London grew more than 1,000 tower mustard plants and put them back on the ground. BBC reported on October 19, 2026, that the first year of a project led by Citizen Zoo and Habitats & Heritage had moved the rare native herb out of pots and onto sites where it used to grow.

Tower mustard, Turritis glabra, can reach about a metre and carries small white flowers that feed bees, butterflies, and rare moths. It is near threatened in Great Britain and endangered in England, and it is thought to survive at about 30 sites in the country. In London it had been down to two places: Lesnes Abbey Woods in Bexley and Stain Hill Reservoir in Richmond upon Thames. Seed for the project came from those populations.

In March, Mighty Mustard volunteers learned to sow the tiny seeds and went home with pots, trays, and soil. Plants are now in at Wimbledon Common, Hounslow Heath, Lesnes Abbey Woods, and Barnes Common. BBC said a final planting day was set for Hampton Court Palace's Home Park, using plants raised by the Historic Royal Palaces garden team and by volunteers. Charlotte Harris of Habitats & Heritage said the growers had become attached to the plants. Elliot Newton of Citizen Zoo said London has lost 185 plant species in recent history, and that small projects are part of keeping what remains. The funding comes from the Greater London Authority's Green Roots Fund and from Thames Water. A first successful year is not the same as a recovered population, and the groups are treating the method as something they hope to repeat for other rare plants.