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

‘It’s very special to have something from here,’ said Savannah, left. ‘Everyone seems very excited,’ said Maria, right. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

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.

This precarious situation has caused the estate to shutter its greenhouse 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.