Oman Botanic Garden (OBG) living collections team is responsible for the challenging task of propagating and growing the native plants of Oman, a task, which prior to 2006 had never been done on such a large and systematic scale.

Tasked with the responsibility of growing Oman’s plants the OBG Nursery was first established in a modest nursery facility in Seeb, Muscat and was managed by a single staff member. This began what has been and continues to be an incredible journey of experimentation, learning, challenges and successes.

In 2008 the OBG nursery moved to its new home close to Al Khoud village to the north west of Muscat. The state of the art nursery with its world class design and excellent facilities is located within the boundary of the OBG site and is a thriving hub of activity and innovation. The living collection staff has grown from 1 to 32 over the intervening years. This growth is mirrored in the rapid growth of the staff’s experience, expertise and diversity of interest.

The living collections department is divided in to three separate though closely connected sections: Plant Propagation, Plant Production and Plant Health. Each section has a clear set of objectives and all working towards a common goal to produce high quality plants for planting in OBG’s naturalistic habitats and amenity areas. The living collections team are well on their way to achieving their ambitious goals as they currently grow and manage the most diverse collection of Arabian plants in cultivation anywhere in the world.