The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden

The garden

At the heart of this family garden is a central wetland surrounded by structures built with traditional straw bale and reed building techniques. Aligning with Killik & Co’s investment ethos, the garden celebrates a disappearing craft from Britain’s natural wetland heritage and responds to the challenges of a changing climate.

The UK ranks among the world’s most nature-depleted countries, with around 50% of its biodiversity remaining, compared to a global average of 75%. The garden aims to show how introducing biodiverse zones can improve species abundance, habitat health and help reverse biodiversity loss in the UK.

The structure captures and channels rainwater into a small flood zone to form a central wetland habitat. Surrounded by fruiting trees, self-seeding plants and a mix of grasses, the garden is rooted in the principal of making more from less by supporting wildlife, providing harvests and giving year-round seasonal interest.

Key plants

Naturalistic planting with cultivated species gives the garden a gently matured feel, while a palette of pale purples, creams, oranges and deep reds creates a warm, earthy and restorative atmosphere.

• Phragmites australis – chosen for its grasslike appearance and grown for use in constructing and maintaining the garden’s walled structures using straw bale techniques
• Melica altissima ‘Purpurea’ – a striking grass valued for its colour and height, used in transitional zones between grassland and hedgerows
• Lamium album – selected for its nettle-like form and delicate white flowers, adding brightness to shady hedgerows and areas beneath trees
• Epimedium alpinum – a reliable ground cover plant, ideal for open, shaded spots throughout the garden
• Rubus ulmifolius ‘Bellidiflorus’ – an unusual blackberry variety with pom-pom-like flowers and late-season berries, planted in hedgerows to support wildlife

Plants supplier: Creepers Nursery, Deepdale Trees and Lincolnshire Pond Plants

Sustainability notes

The garden encourages biodiversity by creating varied habitats and using captured rainwater. Its main structure is built and maintained with natural materials sourced from the garden itself: straw bales, harvested reeds, and earth render. Wildlife-friendly lighting reduces light pollution, supporting a sustainable and resilient environment.

The designer – Baz Grainger

“I am immensely proud of my continued partnership with Killik & Co and the previous two gardens we have built together at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, ” Baz Grainger.

In 2000, Baz Grainger visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time. This ignited a long-term passion for garden design that eventually led him to change career and retrain in 2017, after working in the fashion industry for over 20 years. Combining his passion for fashion and garden design, Baz honed his skills in the industry and joined the Landform Consultants design team in 2023 as a landscape garden designer. He completed his first-ever show garden at RHS Hampton Court in 2021 and was delighted to receive a Silver medal and Best Global Impact Garden for The Fashion Footprint Garden. The Killik & Co ‘Save for a Rainy Day Garden’ won a Gold medal in 2025.

Hear from the sponsor – Killik & Co

“We are delighted to be working with Baz Grainger for a third year after a Gold medal-winning year in 2025. We feel he completely understands how to effectively reflect the benefits of multi-generational financial planning and how working closely with an expert can put clients in the best possible position for the future. The garden offers practical adaptations on tackling vital issues and includes some really exciting and visually stunning elements,” George Killik, Chief Strategy Officer, Killik & Co.

Garden legacy

The garden is being relocated to a Centre Point project site in Kennington, London.