Botanic gardens are full of extraordinary plants — rare, ancient, culturally significant — but most visitors walk past them without a second thought. Latin names and conservation status aren’t always enough to spark interest. What does work? A good story.

At Wellington Gardens, we’ve been putting "story first" in our public engagement: using events, social media, and interpretation to create emotional entry points for our audiences. We’ve introduced plants not just as species, but as characters with histories, uses, and cultural meaning, and seen how that changes the way people respond.

This presentation will share practical case studies of how storytelling methods can transform public perception and engagement with plant collections. Storytelling isn’t just a communication tool, it’s a conservation strategy. By inviting visitors to see plants as part of their own story, we’re building the kind of connection that leads to care, advocacy, and long-term support for the plant world.

In an age of climate change and biodiversity loss, building an emotional connection is essential. If we want people to care about plants, we have to help them fall in love with them, one story at a time.