Keep peat - and our plants - safely in the ground

Peatlands sequester carbon and support rare planets and wildlife. Letter from the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife and Friends of the EarthTomorrow, the horticultural industry gathers in Birmingham at the Glee international garden show, with the major high street retailers deciding how and what we will grow in our gardens next year. Yet among the commercial bustle, there remains a deafening silence that shames this ?5bn business and our national passion - why is peat still being used in our gardens?The importance of our remaining peatlands to people and planet is hard to overstate. They are the unrivalled kings of carbon storage. Known peatlands cover about 3% of the world's land surface yet store twice as much carbon as all of Earth's standing forest and provide a haven to unique wildlife - from threatened wild flowers through dragonflies to curlews. Yet 2m cubic metres of peat are sold annually for us to plant begonias and tomatoes.  Continue reading...