Gardens packed with innovative ideas to reduce water use will take centre stage at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival this July as the UK expects another summer of heatwaves.
Featuring drought tolerant planting schemes and landscaping techniques for managing water use, designs at the festival this year will demonstrate how gardeners can adapt their planting and landscaping practices to help make their own green spaces more climate resilient.
For the 1 in 3 rented UK households, The Wildlife Trusts: Renters’ Retreat garden is teeming with ideas of how renters can use their outside spaces to help tackle the nature and climate emergency. A flat pack inspired design that can be taken down and rebuilt easily utilises hügelkultur to create moisture holding beds that reduce watering needs. The garden also highlights the responsibility of landlords to provide rainwater harvesting systems to help reduce mains water use.
The Inghams Working With Nature Garden designed by Joshua Parker and Matthew Butler features resilient planting for wet and dry periods and utilises a shallow creek to collect water runoff and divert it into plant packed sunken swales to reduce reliance on mains water.
Drought tolerant planting schemes also feature in Caroline and Peter Clayton’s Nurturing Nature in the City and Queenie Chan’s The Lunar Garden, whilst Inspired Earth Design have taken inspiration from the varied landscapes of America to include a desert themed area using dry, arid planting in America’s Wild presented by Trailfinders and Visit the USA.
Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Gardens & Shows said: “Climatic extremes are becoming increasingly common in the UK and our green spaces will need to adapt to weather them. The gardens at RHS Hampton Court provide plenty of inspiration for visitors to try at home to help make their own gardens more resilient.”
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival runs from 4-9 July and tickets are available online at rhs.org.uk/Hampton
