For the Public
Whether you love plants at home, care for a community space, or simply enjoy parks and green spaces where you live, plant health matters to you. The risks to plants and trees are increasing, and everyone has a part to play in helping to protect them.
This page explains why plant health is important, what Plant Healthy means, and how simple, everyday choices, like where you buy plants and how you move them, can help protect gardens, communities and the wider environment.
Protecting plants, gardens and the places we love
Plants and trees are essential to your everyday life. They support wildlife, help tackle climate change, provide food, and make our towns, cities, gardens, parks and community spaces healthier places to live.
Keeping plants healthy isn’t just about how they look in your home or garden, it’s about protecting the wider environment we all share.
Plant Healthy exists to help minimise the risk of harmful plant pests and diseases spreading through the movement of plants, and to support businesses that are taking responsible action to protect plant health.
Why does plant health matter?
Plant pests and diseases are increasing and spreading more easily than ever before. Some, like Ash dieback or Dutch elm disease, may already be familiar to you because of the lasting damage they have caused to landscapes, wildlife and communities. Others are emerging quickly and can affect a wide range of garden plants, trees and crops.
Plant health matters because:
- Plants and trees underpin our natural environment and biodiversity
- Many livelihoods and industries depend on healthy plants and trees
- Pests and diseases can permanently damage gardens, parks, woodlands and urban green spaces
Once established, serious pests and diseases are extremely difficult, and often impossible, to eradicate. Preventing their spread is far more effective than trying to deal with the damage afterwards.
Plants provide around 80% of the food we eat
What is Plant Healthy?
Plant Healthy is a voluntary certification scheme for businesses that grow, sell, move or manage plants and trees.
Certification shows that a business has strong systems in place to minimise the risk of introducing and spreading harmful plant pests and diseases. These systems are independently checked through audits against the Plant Health Management Standard.
Plant Healthy does not mean that the individual plants are certified, rather the certification applies to the business as a whole. This means there is a much lower risk that the plants you buy from these businesses will be carrying harmful pests or diseases which can damage our gardens and wider countryside. However, the individual plants themselves will still need routine care such as watering.
Businesses who are members of the Plant Healthy scheme use our logo to advertise to their customers that they are Plant Healthy certified. If you want to use a Plant Healthy certified business you can look at our map and directory.
What does “buying responsibly” mean?
Many people buy plants spontaneously and rely on what they can see at the point of sale. Buying responsibly doesn’t mean you need to be an expert; it means choosing suppliers who take plant health seriously.
A responsible plant supplier will usually be:
- Open about where their plants come from
- Clear about how they reduce pest and disease risks
- Willing to share plant care advice and information
- Easy to contact if there is a problem
Buying from a Plant Healthy certified business is an easy way to buy responsibly, as certification provides independent assurance that good plant health practices are in place.
You can also buy plants from other established and trusted suppliers where you can see and choose your plants in person and ask questions. If you’re buying online, choose a seller on the Authorised Distance Plant Sellers list, which means they are legally registered to sell plants and issue plant passports.
Where can I buy from a Plant Healthy business?
Plant Healthy certified businesses include nurseries, garden centres, retailers, landscapers and others who work with plants.
You can find certified businesses using our map and directory.
Several well-known organisations are already certified, including all five RHS gardens and their retail outlets, as well as the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and Edinburgh. We are working with more retailers and suppliers to increase the number of Plant Healthy certified businesses.
What else can you do to help protect plant health?
Small actions and your choices can make a big difference, whether you have plants or garden at home, care for a community space, or simply enjoy spending time outdoors. Here are some simple tips:
Avoid personal imports
Bringing plants, seeds or cuttings back from trips abroad can introduce harmful pests and diseases. Even small items can pose a risk. Follow the rules and remember: Don't Risk It!
Keep it clean
Clean soil and plant material from boots, bikes, buggies and tools after visiting parks, gardens or woodlands. Pests and diseases can easily travel in mud and plant debris.
Stay alert and report concerns
If you notice unusual pests or signs of disease on trees or plants, report them so action can be taken quickly.
- Trees (UK) : Tree Alert – Forest Research
- Other plants (England & Wales) : APHA – 0300 1000 313
- Scotland : Reporting and Follow-up Action - SASA
Learn more
You can explore practical guidance designed for the public on our Resources page. Hear directly from Plant Healthy certified members about why plant health matters to them on our What our members say page. You may also find it useful to visit our FAQs.
Protecting plants is something we can all share
By choosing responsible suppliers, staying alert, and making small changes to how you buy and move plants, you help protect gardens, green spaces, communities and the wider environment. Your choices matter, now and for the future.