RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

Gardens for a Changing World

Urban Rain Garden

Collecting rainfall from the roofs of buildings to irrigate the garden might become increasingly necessary if the climate changes and rainfall becomes more scarce. This garden offers plenty of ideas about how this can be incorporated into new and existing gardens

1  of  6

A patio in sun overlooks the sunken grass area, which is surrounded by raised beds fed by rainwater and planted with both bog plants and more drought tolerant plants where the water supply is scarcer.

Awards

  • Silver-gilt medal winner
  • People’s Choice Conceptual & Gardens for a Changing World

Jump To

Did you know...

Designed by:
Rhiannon Williams
Built by:
Landform Consultants
Sponsored by:
Squires Garden Centres
Landform Consultants
London Stone
  • Filled with the sound of gently running water as it is moved through garden features, slowing all the time, the garden is a peaceful place to sit and relax
  • Water is directed through a series of chutes, channels and rills through raised beds to irrigate plants and then drains away into a water storage tank below ground
  • Sandstone paving is left unsealed to improve water permeability. On the steps and patio, grooves cut in the paving channel the water downwards and into the rills, bringing functionality to an ornamental detail

About the Garden

The Urban Rain Gardendemonstrates contemporary solutions to rainwater managementwithin a residential setting. Rainwater catchment, movement and storage systems are incorporated into the front and back garden designs with every drop of water that falls onto the gardens being used. Visitors can view both gardens via a walkway between them.

The front garden creates a welcoming entrance to the house, offers a parking space for a compact city car, and a creative interpretation of a stormwater swale, while the back garden boasts a series of spaces designed for relaxation and entertaining. The raised planters and sunken lawn provide a sense of enclosure and privacy, and the soft, elegant, structural planting throughout the front and back gardens is sympathetic to wet and dry conditions.

Both gardens offer practical interventions designed to inspire visitors to become more sustainable in the garden with rainwater management.