New President of the International Plant Propgation Society

Linda Laxton, M.D and owner of British Wild Flower Plants will become the new President of the Great Britain and Ireland region (which includes Europe) of the International Plant Propagation Society (IPPS), taking over from current president, Abi Rayment on January 1st. next year.

Linda, who has been an IPPS member for over 10 years and whose Norfolk nursery specialises in growing purely native plants from seed collected throughout the UK will be responsible for overseeing the running of this wing of the society, and liaising with the other IPPS regions world wide. She will also head the regional conference in the South of England in October 2012.

"What I admire about the IPPS is the fact that members, (over 2,000 throughout the world) freely share their knowledge," says Linda, who regards her appointment as an honour. "In the early days when I needed to know how to germinate the native primrose, I could have paid heavily for the information. Instead I was taught for free by an IPPS member. Millions of pounds could be saved on research if more professionals were prepared to share their knowledge."

Outgoing regional president, Abi Rayment, who will be presenting awards such as the 'Rose Bowl', which recognises individual membership contribution at this year's conference says that Linda's grasp of the industry and her extensive plant knowledge coupled with her gregarious social skills will be a great asset to the society. "She's just what we need to lead us on to bigger and better things," she said.

The IPPS Presidential role lasts for 12 months, and is awarded following a general vote at the AGM.

For further information on the IPPS visit: www.ipps.org

British Wild Flower Plants: www.wildflowers.co.uk