hebel. today · 15 November 202670 / 79
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Resilience in planting requires time, not just density
Landscape architect Chris Beardshaw designed the Prostate Cancer UK Garden for the 2027 RHS Chelsea Flower Show using 1,500 to 2,000 plants to demonstrate resilient planting communities. This design relies on a central timber…
From 2 newsletters · 1 min read · one thing to try
Landscape architect Chris Beardshaw designed the Prostate Cancer UK Garden for the 2027 RHS Chelsea Flower Show using 1,500 to 2,000 plants to demonstrate resilient planting communities (What's in Season). This design relies on a central timber Peony Pavilion and pleached lime trees to represent support networks, aiming to create long-lasting biodiversity.
True ecological resilience in a garden depends on the slow arithmetic of competition, where dominant grasses or spreaders crowd neighbors until gaps open for re-seeders to fill. This sorting process takes years of survival through drought and hard frost, meaning a five-day exhibition cannot validate the resilience of a planting scheme.
Proper planting technique also dictates long-term survival for specific species like bearded irises and hippeastrums, which require their rhizomes or upper bulbs to remain exposed to the sun to avoid rot (The Manic Botanic). Burying these plants completely under soil, despite common gardening habits, often leads to leaf growth without flowering.
Try today · 15 min
Expose the rhizomes of your bearded irises or the tops of your hippeastrum bulbs to the air.
Gently brush away the soil layer covering the top third of the bulb or the top of the rhizome.
You need
- Small hand trowel or your fingers
- Soft brush
Steps
- Locate the rhizome or bulb at the soil surface.
- Remove excess soil covering the top of the rhizome or the upper third of the bulb.
- Clear away any debris or mulch that might trap moisture against the exposed surface.
- Ensure the exposed section remains free of standing water.