We’ve collated our data from the Welcome Week Botanical Bookworms event and we are happy to say it was a great success!

206 people attended the event.

332 free plants were given away to new homes.

As we kept things sustainable, reusing plant pots and growing all plants from cuttings or seeds, the cost for the Library was only 75p per plant. The majority of materials were sourced locally, and our compost was all organic. We used mycorrhizal fungi to promote soil health and reduce the need for additional plant food.

If you have since planted out your plant, please return your pot to the drop-off point at the Fountains Desk so we can re-use them for our next event in the spring.

86 people completed our wellbeing survey.

All 86 agreed that plants benefit wellbeing.

73 feel happier with plants around.

24 found it easier to concentrate having a plant in their room.

39 agreed that looking after a living plant reduces stress.

54 get a sense of achievement from growing a plant.

40 were looking forward to using their own herbs in their cooking (you can get a recipe idea from one of our free bookmarks or from this blog post: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/ysjlibraryblog/2025/09/29/recipe-testing/)

only 44% of those who took the survey knew about Wild Wednesdays, the community garden workshop that take place once a week on Wednesdays, 12-2.

It’s open to all, whether you already love gardening or are a complete beginner. Spread the word!

We hope you enjoyed the event, and we’d love to see you at Wild Wednesdays.