Chelsea Flower Show

Flowers This year we have sponsored the creation of a water efficient garden at the prestigeous Chelsea Flower Show.

With the help of both the creators ARK DM who are architects from Sheffield and the renowned horticulturist Dr Nigel Dunnett from the University of Sheffield. Our 'Future Nature' garden aims to display a number of strategies to adapt gardening to an era of climate change.

The garden

It's one of 13 show gardens on display at Chelsea this year and it has already made a lasting impression amongst experts scooping a Silver Gilt medal.

It features realistic gardening solutions for people with small constrained urban gardens like roof terraces or yards.

Designed to raise awareness that with relatively simple planting methods, coupled with a well thought through layout, people can create a colourful and naturalistic garden that will help alleviate flooding whilst also creating opportunities to conserve water.

The features of the garden include: Portrait of garden

1 = Butterfly Mounds

2 = Vertical Tower garden

3 = Stormwater Planter

To watch a video of the Future Nature garden in construction click here.

Take a sneaky peek of the garden in construction at the Chelsea Flower Show, click here.

Chelsea Flower Show Creature tower and insect tower Raised bed

The downturn in the economy has brought into focus more than ever the need for everyone to use resources more carefully. Our garden uses predominantly recycled materials which we believe is a different approach to many show gardens and echoes the need to make the most of any water naturally available by the skilful choice of planting. Buildings that use copious amounts of water to maintain lush planting schemes are not green.

Ark DM architect and project manager Adrian Hallam

Chives

Insect tower Creature tower Flowers

We wanted the garden to be eco-friendly and we wanted to bring lots of ideas to the show. We've taken everyday materials we found and used them in the insect towers. I think virtually everything is recycled; in fact, the insect towers were fence last week. What we want people to do is to come along to the garden and say: 'I can do that'.

Dr Dunnett, a lecturer at the University of Sheffield Department of Landscape

The future Nature garden will showcase to our customers some new and exciting ways in which they can save water in their gardens whilst also providing an alternative solution to concreting over hard to use spaces. Not only are we confident that the garden will look great, it will also have some unusual features that we hope will get across an important message.

Clare Dunlop, Water Conservation Manager

If your interested to see which plants were used in this garden, you can download the planting list and further information here.

Planting list

Future Nature

Fancy a spot of fishing? You'll be hooked when you find the best places to fish around our reservoirs.

Need help finding your water meter? Think you have low water pressure? Our 'how to' guides will help you out with those hard to solve problems!

An average rooftop collects about 85,000 litres of water every year! Find out about garden water butts.

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Chelsea Flower Show

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