This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show is getting underway today (May 20th) and will be going on all week, so you’re sure to find all sorts of exciting and inspiring ideas for your own gardens, both at home and at your place of business.
One of the biggest areas of focus at this year’s show, perhaps inevitably, is the sustainability of garden landscaping design and construction, with designers now increasingly turning to a combination of more traditional gardening techniques and the use of technology to create beautiful outdoor spaces that are innovative and practical at the same time.
But what techniques are now in play and what could you adopt at home to make your gardens more sustainable? Here are just a couple to consider.
Clay puddling
Water features are a common inclusion in gardens and ponds will always look lovely, no matter the size, but your choice of pond liner can be problematic if you go for something synthetic like plastic.
Instead, consider clay puddling, a traditional 18th century practice that involves using clay soil to line ponds rather than plastic. The clay is compacted to get rid of all the air, which creates a solid impermeable barrier so you can fill your pond with water, plants and fish.
Sustainable water management
Obviously, one of the biggest worries for keen gardeners in this era of climate change is water. You need a plentiful supply to keep your plants happy and healthy, but you also need to think about safeguarding resources for the future.
Consider rainwater harvesting to reduce pressure on public supplies, as well as using hard landscaping features like permeable paving to reduce surface water runoff.
Rammed earth
Another traditional technique to investigate is rammed earth, where soil is compressed so that it can be used to build walls, raised beds, sheds and anything else you might like in the garden. The end result is strong, durable – and wonderfully natural to look at.