Mark Lane, MVO, Gardens Manager at Buckingham Palace, explains how the idea of hosting a National Collection in the Royal Gardens was conceived and how the historical connection with James I led naturally to the mulberry being the plant of choice.

John Feltwell, scientist, naturalist and conservationist, and author of books on the mulberry tree and the silk industry, provides the historical background to the collection, tracing the long-standing connection between rich silk garments and royalty, and attempts to discover the secret of Chinese silk production and early experiments in domestic silk production in Europe and America.

Susyn Andrews, a world-renowned horticultural taxonomist with more than forty years’ experience and 225 publications to her name, introduces us to the Morus family and its characteristics, showing how different species have been used for medicine, textiles and paper, the leaves for silkworm food, the wood for furniture, agricultural implements, boats, building construction and fuel and the fresh and dried fruit as a delicious and nutritious food.