News from the gardening world
Chelsea 2020 to show how to mitigate some of its effects
With global concern about how changing climate will impact human existence, Chelsea Flower Show is to display ways plants, horticultural innovation and design can help mitigate some of its effects. Also high on the agenda is the sustainable use of materials and sourcing plants and materials from the UK, rather than overseas – schemes which benefit wildlife and the environment.
Some gardens will highlight life in cities as it's projected 30 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban environments, along with designs benefiting both wildlife and the environment. Headlining the eight show gardens, the M&G garden are sponsoring young designers Hugo Bugg and Charlotte
Harris to create a communal residential garden in a city space which uses repurposed materials, permeable surfaces and a palette of weather-resistant plants.
Making their Chelsea debut, Yeo Valley Farms have sponsored Tom
Massey to create an Organic Garden, providing a countryside experience, with a diverse range of habitats designed to encourage wildlife and support pollinators. Multi award-winning Chelsea designer Sarah Eberle is working with the
Bible Society on the reflective The Psalm 23 Garden, which references the Dartmoor landscape as part of a nationwide campaign to bring communities, schools and churches together to create communal garden spaces. Ten other gardens make up the Urban and Artisan garden entries this year, making 18 gardens in total.
Nursery exhibitors in the Great Pavilion are also lessening their impact on the environment by going peat-free, growing in biodegradable pots, switching from chemical to biological pest controls and using harvested rainwater.
“It’s very encouraging to see a number of gardens addressing these issues and more growers adopting suitable practices,” said Chelsea Show Manager Rose Gore Browne.
Find out more on gardening in a changing climate on page 8.