A RETIRED Merseyside teacher has launched an unusual bid to grow and sell one million plants for charity.
His campaign will see him transform a damaged Superlambanana into a living exhibit covered in plants at the Southport Flower Show (SFS) later this month.
Primary teacher-turned keen gardener Ray Bishop has spent the last year propagating one “Tradescantia Blushing Bride” seed into 1m plants.
He started selling the pink house plant last week and is hoping to raise £1m for the Willowbrook Hospice in St Helens which cares for adults with life-limiting illnesses.
He hopes to sell 2m young plants at £1 each, with the money being split 50/50 between himself and the hospice.
Mr Butler, 44, said: “I’ve always been a keen gardener since I was a child but after I retired I had a Eureka moment and wondered if I could propagate millions of plants from one seed.
“The richest man in the world made his money by investing in an exponential growth system so I applied the same process to the plants.
“By choosing a ‘mother plant’ and taking cuttings I can propagate the plant establishing a doubling rate, and creating a timeframe for the growth of plants.
“People believed it couldn’t be done in my back garden but I started with a small lean-to greenhouse and soon had 30,000 micro-cuttings.
“I then moved into my friend’s greenhouse and earlier this month reached the 1m mark.
“The school used to fund raise for the hospice and I know people who have used the service so it’s a worthwhile cause.”
Last year, Mr Butler picked up a bronze award for his musical-themed topiary display at the SFS and his Superlambanana inspired display is set to fit well with this year’s “Horti-Cultural” 2008 Capital of Culture theme.
His figure will be covered in blossoming Blushing Bride plants and will sit alongside “Koppy” a Superlambanana decorated in the colours of Liverpool Football Club.
“I decided to use a Superlambanana in my display and I bought a slightly damaged ‘Koppy’ but when I got it home my wife Victoria and seven-year-old son James who are devout Liverpool fans wouldn’t let me cover it with plants.
“So, I had to go back and buy a second one which I’ll cover in plants and call Dolly, as my plants are similar in their history to Dolly the cloned sheep, or Blushing Bride Banana.”
James and younger sister Grace, five, have been helping manage the stock of plants and whilst Victoria thinks it’s a crazy idea, she has been supportive.
Mr Butler said: “People said to me I’ll never do it, but I have and even if I don’t raise £1m for the hospice I hope to raise a substantial amount.”
He has launched a company and website www.gardenia.net to sell his plants.
