The build is underway for RHS Garden Wisley’s Houseplant Takeover: Deep Sea Dive in the iconic Glasshouse, as hundreds of houseplants are set to sprawl and spread over deep sea surfaces to create a nautical theme.
The exhibit – running from 4 February to 12 March 2023 – will transport visitors to a colourful reef below the surface of the sea, where familiar houseplants mix with weird and wonderful specimens amongst shipwrecks and treasure chests.
Taking place in the Temperate House, the spectacular display of succulents, air plants and other indoor favourites from the Wisley Glasshouse collections will be inspiration to indoor gardeners everywhere, as a mesmerising mix of foliage colonises undersea rocks and relics of past adventures.
Materials on loan from Cornwall’s Shipwreck Treasure Museum will enhance the maritime feel, while up above, a boat suspended off the Temperate Terrace will create the illusion of being underwater.
The exhibition builds on the continuing trend of houseplants – particularly popular among younger audiences who lack outdoor space – and aims to inspire visitors to think about innovative ways of integrating greenery indoors, with a particular focus on wise watering. Imaginative and otherworldly, the display will enable the RHS to share its expert knowledge on water conservation and how to water plants correctly, as well showcase drought tolerant plants.
The 37-day run of this exhibition includes February half term, and an accompanying booklet to the event will include a story-led activity for children, whereby they are challenged to help a professor find his collection of drought tolerant plants that have been washed away in a storm.
RHS Wisley Garden Manager, Emma Allen, said: “There are countless treasures to be found at the Houseplant Takeover; we want to show people that if you let your imagination run wild you can create something out of the ordinary inside your own home. With the right conditions and some loving care these plants will flourish, and may even transport you to another world!”
