The heat at the 2015 RHS Hampton Court Flower Show has highlighted that when it comes to the weather, nature is always in control. With temperatures reaching 34c today, the Show Gardens are sizzling but need plenty of watering to keep them looking beautiful.
One of the most popular gardens has been the Community Street — showpiece of the RHS Greening Grey Britain project.
Created by Nigel Dunnett with help from the Landscape Agency, its a 60m2 version of the garden of St Mungo’s in Bristol, currently a mass of grey gravel, transformed into a beautiful, practical and environmentally-clever garden. The installation aims to show how important gardening is to tackling climate change and how the hardest, bleakest space can be greened, not just to look and smell good, but to combat air pollution, assist drainage and mitigate flooding as well as being beneficial to mental and physical wellbeing.
At a time when hard surfaces in London gardens are increasing by two and a half times the area of Hyde Park each year, it’s ever more important that we green where can — in window boxes, patios, balconies and yards and protect green spaces wherever they are threatened. RHS Greening Grey Britain campaign aims to turn 6,000 grey spaces green.
Tue, Jun 30, 2015
Climate Change, Climate Change Gardening, UK Climate Change, Royal Horticultural Society