Best Plants for Climate Change and Carbon Capture

All plants store carbon in the soil through their root mass and microbes, but the best garden plants for carbon capture can have a real impact on climate change by storing more carbon in the soil at greater depths. If you want to sequester carbon in your garden, or choose plants that will resist the effects of climate change then here are our  best plants for carbon change and carbon capture

Ornamental Grasses

Prairie style ornamental grasses like an organic Miscanthus sinensis  have incredibly long roots to lock carbon deep underground, and the longest root to shoot ratio out of the perennial family. They work in everything from urban yards to cottage gardens, are drought resistant and tough enough to survive in coastal and dry gravel gardens and have year round interest whilst being very low maintenance - what's not to like! In fact, perennial grasses sequester more carbon per acre every year than an acre of tree saplings over 10 years

Perennials with deep taproots

Perennials with deep taproots like Acanthus Mollis put a lot of thick roots into the earth and are tough and long lived.

Woody plants 

Tree saplings and shrubs are woody plants that store a lot of carbon above ground - just be careful to site them where they are unlikely to be chopped down in the future so that carbon isn't re-released into the atmosphere. 

If you are looking for a planned border of climate change combating plants, consider Cornus paired with ornamental grasses and Sedum for amazing winter interest in my favourite  planting idea.

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