The Royal Horticultural Society has announced a comprehensive emergency strategy designed to shield its renowned public gardens from the escalating threat of future water shortages across the United Kingdom. The environmental charity, which manages five significant gardens in England, is implementing a major shift in its approach to water resource management in direct response to the increasingly volatile climate patterns affecting the nation.
Investing in Water Security for 2026 and Beyond
Following the severe droughts experienced last year, the RHS confirmed on Saturday that it will channel significant investment into enhanced water-capture and storage infrastructure projects commencing in 2026. This strategic move comes as the charity urgently calls upon the UK's 34 million gardeners to adopt similar preparatory measures during the winter and spring months to maximise rainwater retention.
Adapting to the 'New Normal' of Climate Volatility
Global heating is fundamentally disrupting the water cycle, leading to more frequent periods of below-average rainfall alongside an increased risk of sudden flooding events. The year 2023 served as a stark warning, marking the driest spring in 132 years and the hottest summer on record, which plunged several UK regions into prolonged drought conditions, with some areas still recovering well into January.
Tim Upson, the RHS Director of Horticulture, emphasised the critical nature of this adaptation. "Water is the lifeblood of any garden – important not only to human health and wellbeing but the broader environment and wildlife," he stated. "We, like the nation's gardeners, are having to adapt to the new normal; prioritising the collection, storage, and management of rainwater as well as relocating and reassessing our plant collections to future-proof them."
Detailed Plans for Iconic Gardens
The RHS is conducting a meticulous review of water allocation across its entire estate, which includes the celebrated gardens at Wisley in Surrey, Hyde Hall in Essex, Rosemoor in Devon, Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, and Bridgewater in Greater Manchester. The charity's updated water management plan delves into the granular details of resource distribution.
"This plan gets into the nitty-gritty of where a last bucket of water might be used in each garden," Upson explained. "That's the reality of the situation we need to prepare for, and we would be foolish not to."
Practical Measures for Gardeners and Research Initiatives
The RHS is advocating for gardeners to implement several key practices to bolster garden resilience. These essential steps include:
- Preparing soil through techniques like hollow tining, chop and drop, and mulching.
- Creating dedicated rain gardens to capture and filter runoff.
- Installing rainwater storage facilities such as butts and tanks.
- Thoughtfully reconsidering plant placement to match water availability.
Concurrently, the charity is spearheading vital research initiatives. These encompass:
- Quantifying water use for individual plants and entire landscape types, including trees, herbaceous borders, lawns, and vegetable plots.
- Conducting in-depth studies on soil health within its gardens.
- Exploring the expanded use of grey-water—cleaner wastewater from domestic sources like baths and washing machines.
A Broader Strategic Shift
The announced plans signify a fundamental evolution in the RHS's response to the climate crisis, moving towards a greater emphasis on adaptation to the unavoidable impacts of atmospheric warming. Specific projects slated for 2026 will focus on increasing water storage capacity in tanks and lakes, installing water-efficient ebb-and-flow benches in retail centres, and investing in more rain garden installations.
This data-driven approach aims to predict future water use patterns and inform planting strategies and resource management as the climate crisis intensifies. Upson highlighted the delicate balance required in horticulture: "There's a sweet spot between building plants' resilience to withstand drier periods by providing less water and the risk of stressing a plant, making it susceptible to health issues and reduced flowering, which has a knock-on effect for wildlife and humans alike."
By unveiling this emergency framework, the Royal Horticultural Society is positioning itself at the forefront of horticultural adaptation, setting a crucial example for gardeners nationwide as the UK contends with an era of growing environmental uncertainty.
