Royal Horticultural Society Announces Emergency Water Strategy Amid Escalating Drought Threat
The Royal Horticultural Society has unveiled comprehensive emergency measures designed to protect its renowned public gardens from the growing threat of water shortages across England. The environmental charity, which manages five significant garden sites nationwide, confirmed on Saturday that it will make water capture and management projects its primary investment focus throughout 2026. This strategic shift represents a direct response to last year's severe drought conditions that affected multiple regions of the country.
Adapting to the New Normal of Water Scarcity
Tim Upson, RHS Director of Horticulture, emphasised the critical nature of this initiative, stating: "Water is the lifeblood of any garden – important not only to human health and wellbeing but the broader environment and wildlife – and we, like the UK's 34 million gardeners, are having to adapt to the new normal." He explained that the charity's updated water management plan "gets into the nitty-gritty" of where every last bucket of water might be utilised within each garden, acknowledging that "that's the reality of the situation that we need to prepare for and we would be foolish not to."
The RHS is simultaneously encouraging home gardeners to implement similar preparatory measures during the winter and spring months to maximise rainwater capture. Recommended techniques include:
- Soil preparation methods such as hollow tining, chop-and-drop, and mulching
- Creating dedicated rain gardens to capture and filter runoff
- Installing rainwater storage systems for garden use
- Carefully considering plant placement to optimise water efficiency
Climate Change Driving Water Volatility
This initiative emerges against a backdrop of global warming intensifying volatility within the global water cycle, resulting in more frequent years of below-average rainfall alongside increased flood risks across the United Kingdom. Last year witnessed the driest spring in 132 years and the hottest summer on record, pushing several regions into drought conditions that persisted into January in some areas.
The RHS is now conducting thorough reviews of water allocation strategies across its five prominent gardens:
- Wisley in Surrey
- Hyde Hall in Essex
- Rosemoor in Devon
- Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire
- Bridgewater in Greater Manchester
Comprehensive 2026 Water Management Projects
The charity's planned projects for 2026 encompass multiple approaches to water conservation and management:
Infrastructure enhancements will include increasing water storage capacity in tanks and lakes, installing ebb and flow benches in retail centres to reduce water consumption, and investing in rain garden installations across their properties.
Research initiatives will focus on soil health assessment within their gardens while continuing to quantify both individual plant and whole landscape water usage. The RHS is also exploring increased utilisation of grey-water – cleaner wastewater from baths, showers, sinks, and washing machines – as an alternative irrigation source.
To better understand water requirements and provide accurate advice to British gardeners, the RHS is meticulously recording water usage across different garden landscapes, including:
- Tree collections and woodland areas
- Herbaceous perennial borders
- Fine turf lawns and ornamental grass areas
- Vegetable gardens and productive growing spaces
Strategic Shift Toward Climate Adaptation
These comprehensive plans signal a broader strategic shift within the organisation's approach to climate change, with increasing focus on adapting to growing environmental impacts rather than solely mitigating planet-warming emissions. The charity is utilising collected data to predict future water use patterns by different plant species and prepare for upcoming planting schemes and water resource management as climate change accelerates.
Mr Upson highlighted the delicate balance required in water management, noting: "There's a sweet spot between building plants' resilience to withstand drier periods by providing less water but then there's the potential of stressing a plant and leaving them susceptible to plant health issues, not to mention reduced floriferousness, which has a knock-on effect for wildlife and humans."
This forward-looking approach represents a significant commitment to preserving Britain's horticultural heritage while addressing the practical realities of climate change through innovative water conservation strategies.
