SHORT NOTE Saving Rhododendron species: preservation and storytelling at the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen (Natural History Museum Denmark)

Abstract

Over the past decade, the condition of the rhododendron collection in the Botanical Garden of Copenhagen has gradually declined. In 2020, the Garden initiated a project to save its rhododendrons with a new landscape plan that is more ecologically authentic and more closely represents the genus’s natural environment. The project involved relocation and propagation of the plants while simultaneously introducing a new visual interpretive design for communicating the stories related to rhododendrons. In this article, we describe the endeavour of establishing a new home for the Garden’s rhododendron collection – comprising approximately 200 species, some of which are threatened – in the newly established Rhododendron Quarter. Today, this site is one of the most popular areas of the Garden, a place where visitors can slow down, enjoy the plants and gain knowledge through the interpretive displays.