Nature to be the star of the show at RHS Malvern with pioneering exhibit
The Wildlife Trusts’ garden will dazzle with kaleidoscope of surprising features
A show garden with nature’s recovery at its heart will be premiered by The Wildlife Trusts at this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival in May. The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces garden promises to take wildlife-friendly gardening to a new level with beauty and biodiversity at its heart.
Nature to be the star of the show at RHS Malvern with pioneering exhibit
The Wildlife Trusts believe gardening has a vital role to play in nature’s recovery, with long-term benefits for climate and people’s wellbeing too. The aim of the stunning garden is to inspire visitors to think differently about the appearance of a garden that is designed for people and wildlife, and to show how we can all nurture nature, no matter what size or style of garden.
Wilder Spaces is full of surprising features, plants and materials that enhance nature and provide eye-catching charm. A watercourse meanders through the plot towards a central pond surrounded by a range of wildlife habitats and climate-positive features:
- A bee-bench made from untreated timbers drilled with holes, a hoverfly lagoon (a still water feature), leaf-cutter bee towers, a compost channel, and a living roof
- Pollinator and larval friendly planting
- A stream, waterfall, pond, bog, grassland and deadwood
- Recycled materials such as untreated timber, steel and building aggregate
- Climate resilient planting and landscaping
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“A garden that alive with nature is a delight to spend time in. Being immersed in wildlife brings joy – whether that’s hearing the hum of bumblebees, catching the dart of a dragonfly over a pond, or the sound of goldfinches chattering in a tree. Nature soothes our souls, brings us pleasure and makes us feel good.
“Nature is also vital for the health of the places where we live because natural habitats absorb water during heavy rainfall, help cool our cities during hot weather and give us shade while also storing carbon. We hope our Wilder Spaces garden will inspire people everywhere to take action for nature and our climate.”
Estelle Bailey, BBOWT’s Chief Executive, says:
“Nature is in crisis and not enough is being done to reverse this terrible decline in the UK’s biodiversity. We want to see 30 per cent of land well managed for nature by 2030 and our gardens are a vital part of that wild jigsaw. Wilder Spaces will show that any garden can have wildlife habitats at its heart, with recycled materials and nature friendly planting, yet still be beautiful to look at and provide relaxing spaces to spend time.
“Private gardens make up a bigger area than all of Britain’s nature reserves combined – they can provide a mosaic of mini-habitats that support a diverse range of species, so they are key to helping create more nature everywhere. RHS Malvern Spring Festival will be a great opportunity to showcase to people everywhere what they can achieve in their own gardens for nature, for climate and for themselves.”
A pavilion, created in conjunction with Charlie Luxton Design, is constructed from reclaimed steel joists and grating and will be topped with a living roof. The garden is created by Oxford Garden Design and led by experts at BBOWT’s ecological consultancy Future Nature WTC.
Once the RHS Malvern Spring Festival is over, the garden will be distributed across various Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves and projects.
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