Monstera magic: Barbican hands out cuttings as ‘green lung of the city’ closes

<p>Five hundred people turn up to adopt plants from conservatory that will reopen in 2030 after renovation project</p><p>Above the waxy monstera leaves and bright pink hibiscus flowers in the Barbican conservatory hangs a giant net to catch the panes of glass that are at risk of falling from the ceiling on the unwitting plant lovers below.</p><p>This precarious situation has caused the estate to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/dec/05/barbican-revamp-to-give-london-arts-centre-a-new-lease-of-life">shutter its greenhouse</a> on the third and fourth floors for three years so a full refurbishment can take place. But the hiatus has a silver lining for many of those who visited on Wednesday to give the plants from the conservatory a new home.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/20/barbican-hands-out-plant-cuttings-green-lung-city-closes">Continue reading...</a>