RHS BADMINTON 2026
I am co-contributor for a garden design which we entered into the 'pocket planting' catagory open submission for the Royal Horticultural Society 2026 show at Badminton Estate in July. Our design is one of a shorlist of just 11 gardens which will be showcased at the RHS show.
The design aims to highlight the ecological importance of brownfield sites and their role within wider urban ecological networks.
As Nigel Dunnett described, they function as 'urban prairies', that demonstrate how plant communities can thrive under stress and, in doing so, offer a blueprint for future-proof, climate-resilient planting design.
Our pocket planting garden is dedicated in memory of our tutor, Nigel Dunnett.
'Life in DERELICTION'
Despite the challenging conditions often associated with brownfield lands – from infertile soils and contamination to minimal irrigation and exposure – these sites can evolve into highly biodiverse successional habitats. This design encourages visitors to reconsider the importance of these often-overlooked landscapes and to recognise their contribution to the wider urban ecological networks.
The regenerative processes of brownfield land are turned into an aesthetic, small-scale planting scheme. Three distinct planting gradients reflect natural successions patterns, echoing pioneering species, expanding seed banks and competitive scrub communities. As these environments are typically characterised by substrates such as gravel, crushed concrete or bricks, resilient and drought-tolerant species like Achillea ‘Credo’ are included.
The garden also features deadwood structures and other ‘found objects’ sourced from brownfield sites, repurposed to create microhabitats for invertebrates that colonise these lands.
KEY PLANTS:
THE GARDEN LEGACY
After the show at Badminton is over our garden will be relocated, as part of the 'Memory Lane' community-led project, along the bank of Regent’s Canal in the heart of London.