The RHS Pollywiggle Garden

The garden

Inspired by the local landscape and the need for more wetland areas in all UK gardens big and small, we aim to help garden owners make frogs and toads frequent and much-loved visitors. The garden space shows how domestic gardens can welcome amphibians without needing to appear untidy or overly wild. Lush planting surrounds a beautifully naturalistic pond, creating shelter and food for tadpoles, frogs and newts while maintaining an intentional, designed aesthetic.

A thoughtfully crafted boardwalk guides visitors through areas of wet and boggy ground, demonstrating how water can be embraced as an asset rather than avoided. Clever use of salvaged materials adds texture, sustainability and character, blending seamlessly into the landscape. The garden reflects a deeply personal inspiration: the designers’ children have delighted in spotting frogs, gently rescuing them and building small habitat homes for their slippery friends. Ultimately, the garden offers a practical and enchanting blueprint for creating frog-friendly spaces at home.

The planting

The garden will be punctuated with the bright pinks of Lythrum salicaria ‘Blush’, Anemone ‘Pamina’ and Astilbe chinensis var. pumila. Acid green grasses like Sesleria autumnalis will provide a zingy backdrop for the vibrant colour palette. 

Key plants

• Betula nigra
• Salix caprea and Salix × fragilis: chosen because they are moisture loving trees suitable for planting in a moist area near a pond that will attract amphibians
• Deschampsia cespitosa and Thalictrum: moisture loving grasses and perennials which border the water, providing cover for frogs, toads and newts as they come and go. ​

Sustainability notes

Celebrating the successful reintroduction of the pool frog into North Norfolk, and the restorative work with the local pingo ponds, frogs are being reintroduced to areas across the UK. Restoring balance and wildlife to domestic garden spaces is crucial. In the face of climate change, we need more areas where water loving wildlife can thrive in hot weather.

About the designers – Joe and Laura Carey

Carey Garden Design Studio, led by Joe and Laura Carey in North Norfolk, is a multi-award-winning practice known for its innovative, plant-focused designs. With Laura’s expert eye for planting detail and Joe’s intuitive spatial creativity, the duo has earned multiple RHS Gold Medals and national recognition for their fresh approach to garden design.

The garden legacy

After the show, the garden is being relocated to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, to become a wildlife education garden with pond dipping platform for families and schools to learn about water loving wildlife in gardens.