A tree sculpture at the Chelsea flower show. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty
After a weekend of downpours, visitors could be forgiven for thinking that everything is rosy in the show gardens of the Chelsea flower show, writes Matt C Biggs. Spring lushness and floral perfection are, after all, hallmarks of this extravaganza. But with the south-east of England already under threat of drought, is this year's horticultural bounty at risk of becoming an act of folly?
The show's organiser, the Royal Horticultural Society, has sunk funds into a new 100 metre borehole to help ease supply issues at the show. But that will not reduce usage. It has also shown the way with a highly successful drought-resistant garden at its Hyde Hall garden in Essex, the driest part of the British Isles, and by offering advice on water-wise gardening on its website . For now, the threat has at least been recognised, but whether the RHS will begin imposing restrictions on exhibitors regarding actual or represented water use is a moot point.
Some of the show gardens are taking the lead in the genteel stroll towards hydro-sustainability, at least. The Walking Barefoot with Bradstone garden, is a fantastically sinuous creation that shows water need not be an issue thanks to an innovative domestic sustainable drainage system for gardens that collects and stores rainwater within the walls themselves. And Scenic Blue's garden in the Chic category, Anna's Sanctuary in the Shade, offers a water collection and storage solution suited to small gardens. It is based around a graceful shade structure that, as well as providing shelter for people and planting, collects and funnels rainwater into an underground storage tank.
Don't be deterred by the wet conditions of the past few days; it takes more than a wet weekend to reverse a 19-month drought. If you want to become water-wise in your own garden, the Environment Agency has ideas for durable, long-term options for rainwater harvesting, or try here for an off-the-shelf domestic system.
Matt C Biggs is a gardener and designer
