Using the right plants in the right places is essential for any #FloodResilientGarden to ensure it`s both beautiful and resilient to the elements – here’s some examples to try out in your garden!

#Snowdrops like lots of water when in full growth, and can even be seen growing in temporarily flooded woodlands and along streams in full spate. BUT in summer, when they are not growing, dormant snowdrops like good drainage and much drier conditions – give them too much moisture and they will rot.

Deciduous trees and shrubs will provide summer shade and absorb water from the soil after a downpour, so snowdrops will be happy planted underneath them. Alternatively, a sloping site will ensure that the water runs off – even if there is a lot of it – and as long the ground does not stay boggy the bright snowdrops will bounce back next spring too!

#Willow love to have wet feet and act as a natural filter for any water that comes their way, perfect for flood resilience!

There is a willow suited to any garden and we want to highlight coral bark willow (aka Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Britzensis’) as it can be managed easily for small as well as larger plots. Its a medium height tree, often grown as a shrub by cutting it back hard in early spring to ground level or whatever height is desired. This will keep it well within bounds.

Dozens of new shoots emerge from these cuts which develop into bright red to orange-red stems that glow in the winter garden. Use the cut willow stems as plant stakes or to weave larger supports or other fun structures for the garden. It is an endlessly useful plant!

#HartsTongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium). This native fern loves steep banks, cracks in walls, and other damp shaded places, where it shrugs a constant misting from fast flowing water, or a more substantial floodwater dousing with ease.

At this time of the year, fresh new foliage can be seen unfurling within the rosette of older, darker leaves which are strap-like and evergreen, and grow to around knee height. These give rise to the fern’s common name of hart’s tongue, as they resemble the tongues of deer.

#YearRoundGardening #ResilientPlants #RightPlantRightPlace ...

Always exciting to visit the workshop of our fantastic fabricator, Paul Baxter! Its a cool, creative lair from which he is going to conjure our pergola and key water feature from reclaimed materials.

Flood Resilient Garden designers @edbarsley and @naomisladegardening checked a few measurements, decided on the right colour of paint and we can’t wait to see the structures evolve!


#FloodResilientGarden #MetalWork #Fabricator #RHSChelsea #FloodResilience #ChelseaFlowerShow #ShowGarden #PlantingDesign #GardensForAll #PlantLove #ExtremeWeather #PlantsAreMagic #Sustainability #PlantsPeoplePlace #UrbanGarden #WaterTolerantPlants #GardeningIdeas #ClimateChange #GardenInspiration #YearRoundGardening #ResilientPlants #RightPlantRightPlace #FloodGarden #FloodPrevention #ReduceFlooding #UrbanPlanting #SustainableSpaces #Flood #GreenSpaces #SustainableUrbanDrainage ...

Geums are often the star of the show at Chelsea, and they make a stellar Plant of the Week, too! For our #FloodResilientGarden we are thinking outside the box to look at close relatives of familiar favourites to find something better suited to our conditions. So here is Geum rivale; the clue is in its common name, water avens, and yes, it loves wet feet!
Our chosen plant has long, rich red stems and sepals, with contrasting dusky pink or orange drooping flowers, followed by attractive, long-lasting seed heads which resemble tiny raspberries. It is an herbaceous perennial with a long flowering period from late April to August, then dying back over winter. It grows to just under knee height (40 to 45cm), and forms clumps of around the same size.

Geum rivale is native to UK, fully hardy and is usually found in bogs and damp meadows, in sun or part shade; the sunnier the site, the wetter its feet should be. It will feature in the damper shadier areas of the Flood Resilient Garden, and would love a spot by your garden pond, if you have one. It spreads via its roots, so divide plants every few years when they become congested.

This plant is available to buy in its native, species form, or there are some choice named cultivars including ‘Leonard’s Variety’, which has flowers of a dusty, bronze-rose colour; or ‘Marmalade’ for a bright orange, though the latter is smaller than most, reaching around a foot (30cm) in height.

With thanks to @the_rhs @naomisladegardening @edbarsley @belderboslandscapes @burgonandball @dalefootcomposts @hortus_loci @new_wood_trees @plantsforponds.co.uk @teds_uk @thorndownpaints @vegplotting @waterartisans @wildhaweswater @howberypark

#geum #geumrivale #wateravens #herbaceous #plantoftheweek #rhschelsea #floodresilience #chelseaflowershow #showgarden #plantingdesign #gardensforall #plantlove #extremeweather #plantsaremagic #sustainability #plantspeopleplace #urbangarden #watertolerantplants #gardeningideas #climatechange #gardeninspiration #yearroundgardening #resilientplants #rightplantrightplace #floodgarden #jfdiecologist ...

This is the Flood Re Flood Resilient Garden, coming to @the_rhs Chelsea Flower Show 2024 in only 4 weeks’ time!



#RHSChelsea #FloodResilience #ChelseaFlowerShow #ShowGarden #PlantingDesign #GardensForAll #PlantLove #ExtremeWeather #PlantsAreMagic #Sustainability #PlantsPeoplePlace #UrbanGarden #WaterTolerantPlants #GardeningIdeas #ClimateChange #GardenInspiration #YearRoundGardening #ResilientPlants #RightPlantRightPlace #FloodGarden #FloodPrevention #ReduceFlooding #UrbanPlanting #SustainableSpaces #Flood #GreenSpaces #SustainableUrbanDrainage ...

Flood Resilient Garden co-designer @naomisladegardening visited @new_wood_trees the other day to check out the pollarded willows for the garden!

Now potted up and getting going, they were looking fantastic and will be in full leaf by the time the show rolls round. Next time we see them the garden will be taking shape in earnest. Can’t wait!

@the_rhs @edbarsley @belderboslandscapes @burgonandball @dalefootcomposts @hortus_loci @plantsforponds.co.uk @teds_uk @thorndownpaints @vegplotting @waterartisans @wildhaweswater


#rhschelsea #floodresilience #chelseaflowershow #showgarden #plantingdesign #gardensforall #plantlove #extremeweather #plantsaremagic #sustainability #plantspeopleplace #urbangarden #watertolerantplants #gardeningideas #climatechange #gardeninspiration #yearroundgardening #resilientplants #rightplantrightplace #floodgarden #plantsforpollinators #conservationgarden ...

Staying with the edible theme for our Plant of the Week, let’s talk fruit trees! In our Flood Resilient Garden, we are making smart use of different levels; this not only allows us to control where we want the water to go, but also means we can create lots of different conditions, providing plenty of planting options. And, critically for conventional gardening, one of our areas features a raised mound, which means we can still plant pretties which prefer drier ground.

Every garden needs a beautiful tree and our mound features a gorgeous quince, Cydonia oblonga, which usually blooms slightly later than the more familiar fruit trees. The striking two-tone blossom is self-fertile, so it can produce fruit without the need for another tree nearby, which is handy in a smaller space. When the fragrant, yellow fruit arrive in Autumn, they can be baked, used in tarts, or made into membrillo, an exquisite fruit jelly.

For the classically-minded gardener, apple trees are also a good and characterful choice and, like quince, there are some self-fertile and prolific croppers available, such as ‘Red Windsor’, ‘Scrumptious’, or ‘Red Falstaff’ – producing tasty apples that are not usually found in the shops. In challenging conditions, a sturdy rootstock is key to success as it produces strong roots which anchor the tree in moist or windy weather. Look for the M number: M106 is half-standard, which means the tree grows to around 3-4 metres, while M25 will produce a larger tree. Very dwarfing rootstocks are often not all that strong, and the ensuing tree may not thrive, but a key thing to remember is that the sizes of fruit trees indicate how big they grow in optimum conditions – at altitude, in wet soil or in a cold or exposed location they may be substantially smaller.

And all in all, fruit trees are a bit of a favourite round here, fully earning their keep with a long season of interest from spring blossom through to fruit and autumn colour! ...