Sign up for guided tours of the Flood Resilient Garden in June

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We are inviting the public to join free guided tours on 4 June to find out more about the Flood Resilient Garden.

Two years after its debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, three fabulous design and horticultural experts will talk about the garden’s journey from Chelsea to Oxfordshire, and how it helps protect against flooding.

  • Flood Resilient Garden co-designer Dr Ed Barsley will explain how the garden helps manage flood risk and how he modified the Chelsea design to fit in the differently shaped space at Howbery Park.
  • Stephen Packman, Environment & Innovation Manager from Nurture Landscapes, will talk about how his company is looking after the garden as part of its contract to maintain the wider Howbery grounds, and explain how it enhances biodiversity.
  • Alison Quantrell, a Horticultural Consultant and Planting Designer, will talk about plant choices in the garden and how those could be made relevant to domestic gardens.

Kelly Ostler-Coyle, Director of Corporate Affairs at Flood Re, which sponsored the garden at Chelsea and Howbery, will give an introduction to the sessions. Flood Re is the joint initiative between the UK government and the insurance industry which exists to promote the affordability and availability of flood insurance for homes across the UK.

“We’ve worked hard to ensure the garden can endure and thrive for decades to come in its permanent setting, so it is great to see it flourishing, offering education, enhancing biodiversity, helping manage flood risk, and offering a calm, reflective space for all who visit,” comments Dr Ed Barsley. “The garden shows how measures such as sustainable drainage, resilient planting, rainwater harvesting and features that slow, store and reuse water can be woven creatively into everyday landscapes.”

Booking onto one of the one-hour slots is essential to join the tours on 4 June, which will run from 10am-3.30pm. To round off the tours, visitors will have the option to enjoy a pre-paid afternoon tea in the Manor Café, which needs to be ordered in advance.

The garden is also open for the public to look around themselves on working weekdays, free of charge, and is situated next to the Manor Café. There is plenty of parking nearby in the park’s grounds, which can also be reached via bus, or by foot from Wallingford, via the Crowmarsh Pavillion.

Book your place on our events page.