Sustainability - Chelsea Flower Show 2023

Gardens are a vital part of our natural environment and it’s more important than ever that we tackle the causes and effects of climate change on our own doorsteps and patios, back yards and balconies.

Sustainability is at the heart of A Garden Sanctuary by Hamptons, which is being created for the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show by the award-winning designer Tony Woods, of Garden Club London, in collaboration with the architecture studio Koto Design.

This 10-metre by 12-metre garden, designed for an urban or suburban space, creates a calming, nurturing haven in which to relax and unwind, to feel inspired and rejuvenated. There’s the gentle sound of trickling water; the visual impact of verdant trees and a palette of white and light blue flowers against the striking charred timber cladding of Koto Design’s garden cabin; and the sweet scent of phlox and lilac (Syringa).

As well as stimulating the senses, every element has been carefully considered to be as sustainable as possible. “The moving water attracts birds and insects, while the pool is a home for amphibians,” Woods explains. “The pool also serves as a space for excess water to be collected and stored during torrential rainfall, which is particularly important in built-up areas where surface water does not drain away easily.”

The planting choices create a habitat for many different pollinators to thrive. The aquatic and marginal plants around the pool attract hoverflies, while there are many flowers to entice bees and butterflies, from white-flowered honesty (Lunaria annua var. albiflora) to poppies (Papaver somniferum) and honeywort (Cerinthe major). The Cornus kousa shrub attracts bees and butterflies when it flowers in summer and is dense so is good for nesting birds, while also providing birds with fleshy fruit in the autumn.

The tall, striking trees are an excellent habitat for birds as well as being a visual delight, with the robust, rugged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) contrasting with the colourful textural bark and glossy dark green leaves of the river birch (Betula nigra). The dense tree canopy also locks up carbon from the atmosphere and purifies the air.

One of the main garden boundaries is a hedge of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), which provides another home for birds and creates wildlife corridors for hedgehogs, while the woodland area has leaf mould and logs to provide yet another habitat and food source. “The biodiversity of the garden helps to reduce disease and pests,” Woods says. “By encouraging a broad variety of wildlife, you will get natural predators – frogs will eat slugs, ladybirds will control greenfly. This means there is no need for chemicals or pesticides.”

The garden cabin, which is carbon-neutral, is constructed of charred timber that is self-preserving and resistant to water, rot, insects and UV rays so there is no need for chemicals or toxic woodstains. Known as Shou Sugi Ban, the burnt wood draws on Japanese design influences and the ancient philosophy of Wabi Sabi, which is focused on accepting the transient nature of life and the beauty in imperfection.

Indeed, a key philosophy behind A Garden Sanctuary is that it should reflect what a garden really looks like in late May. “Horticulturally it's not perfect, but we shouldn’t be pushing plants by heating them or by keeping them artificially cool,” Woods explains. “It’s all about natural beauty.”

After the show, the trees will be sent to gardening charities such as Trees for Cities and Groundwork, and there are plenty of tips we can take away. “Even the smallest gardens often have a corner out of sight where you can create a bug hotel with a few logs or bricks,” Woods says. “And if you opt for shrubs such as Cornus kousa you get botanical interest for much of the year and also provide a nesting place for birds. It’s a circular economy – gardening in this way creates less work for the gardener and is a win for the wildlife.”