The Resilience Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show has unveiled a
sensational variety of plants and trees - including a giant
redwood, monkey puzzle, prickly pear cactus, red yucca and
ginkgo.
The centrepiece is a 6m grain silo, repurposed as the designer’s
studio with an oak floor and lined with a willow weaving by
sculptor Tom Hare.
The garden, created by Sarah Eberle to mark 100 years of forestry
in Britain, advocates that we need to increase tree cover,
diversify planting and follow strict biosecurity guidelines to
help protect our landscapes from climate change, pests and
diseases.
Areas of the garden include woodland, dry and damp zones, a pond
and wildflower meadow. The damp area displays butter and sugar
iris and globeflower. Woodland plants include Canton fairy bells
and Henry’s lime, while the arid zone features aloe vera and
Afghan fig. The meadow presents wildflowers including Californian
poppies and common columbine.
The different habitats mimic existing and probable impacts of
climate change in the UK, including drier summers and wetter
winters. To create healthy landscapes, we need to plant trees and
plants that are resilient to the pressures of a changing
environment.
The project is inspired by visionary gardener William Robinson
and initiated by the William Robinson Gravetye Charity. Robinson
began championing a wilder and more natural approach to landscape
design on his Gravetye Estate 150 years ago. This included
experimenting with a huge variety of trees and plants both for
beauty and, in the case of trees, for producing timber.
The Resilience Garden forms part of a year-long celebration of
100 years of forestry in Britain.
The Forestry Commission, established in 1919, is planting more
diverse woodlands and trialling how different tree species fare
in diverse climatic conditions. This includes sourcing seeds from
two degrees south of a planting site, and experimenting with
alternative species including Montpellier maple, red oak, Chinese
mahogany, western red cedar and species of eucalyptus.
Designer Sarah Eberle said:
This garden is about bringing the big issues around climate
change and biosecurity to the biggest stage. We want to inspire
both debate and action to ensure our landscapes are healthy and
full of life for generations to come.
Sir Harry Studholme, Chair of the Forestry Commission, said:
2019 is 100 years on from the visionary Forestry Act, which not
only created the Forestry Commission but set in motion a
century over which the forest area of Britain has more than
doubled.
Our forests are now facing new threats such as climate change
and tree disease. This garden is a partnership between parties
who care very deeply about how we ensure our landscapes are
resilient, now and in the future.
This is exactly the right time to be looking ahead and working
together to ensure our landscapes are healthy for future
generations.
, Defra Biosecurity
Minister, said:
I applaud Sarah Eberle’s inspiring vision which has culminated
in an innovative and beautiful garden for this year’s Chelsea
Flower Show. As the Minister responsible for biosecurity, I
wholly support the theme of resilience and I thank her for
drawing attention to such an important issue.
We want to be the first generation to leave our environment in
a better state than we found it, which is why we have invested
more than £37million between 2012 and 2019 in tree health. We
have launched the Tree Health Resilience Strategy, imposed
movement restrictions on high risk plant species and continue
to keep a close watch for any potential new threats.
I cannot think of a more fitting garden to celebrate the
Forestry Commission’s centenary and pay tribute to their
invaluable work in helping to safeguard our beautiful trees.
The Resilience Garden is supported by the Kingscote Estate,
Gravetye Manor Hotel & Restaurant, the Forestry Commission,
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Defra, Scottish Forestry and the
Scottish and Welsh governments. The Animal and Plant Health
Agency, Observatree and Action Oak are project partners.
