Among the shopping, talks and tips are hidden gems, an immersive forest and plant giveaways
The RHS Urban Forest
Just behind the bustle of the show is Nathan Webster’s RHS Urban Forest. Visitors can wander through while listening to the sounds of the city and the distant buzz of traffic intermingled with birdsong.
Trees are illuminated to show the effect of light on the forest floor, and twice a day the space undergoes a light show to reflect the changing quality of light as the day passes, from brightness of the morning to the deep evening glow. You leave with a deep appreciation of the role forests and woodlands play in towns and cities.
Microgreens and Mushrooms
One of the simplest exhibits may also be one of the most influential. Jack’s Patch takes over a content cube to demonstrate how urban farming could be accessible to all. Embracing two key themes of the RHS Urban Show – recycling and technology, old crisp tubs are repurposed into containers for sprouting mushrooms in moisture-regulated cabinets, while trays of microgreens thrive under grow-lit shelving units.
The cheeky Sunday plant giveaway
On the last day of the show, headline sponsors MAD will be giving away their meadow boxes as they dismantle their display. The space is all about zero waste, so they don’t want to take any of it home. What doesn’t get taken away at the show will be composted.
The RHS Orchid plant trials are the first to be undertaken in people’s homes, with anyone taking part on Sunday receiving a free orchid. All that those participating in the trial need to do is record their progress digitally, so that the RHS team can establish which plants work best in the home environment.
Cityscapes
Throwing down the gauntlet to the developers and city planners, Jason Williams, aka the Cloud Gardener, is bringing solutions to how we green our urban spaces. The cloudscapes project recognises that if we want to have a sustainable plan for the future of city living, urban gardening needs to be more than a tomato plant on a balcony. It also acknowledges the issue with how developers meet environmental obligations, and presents an achievable alternative.
Right plant, right place
The philosophy that has revolutionised garden design is coming to a home near you. Applied to houseplants, the theory of planting the right plant in the right place will save the lives of thousands of indoor plants bought because they look stunning in the shop, only to wither and die over a radiator in a lightless room weeks later. Happy Houseplants with GrowTropicals takes three typical house environments: light, low light and humid, and matches them up with plants that will thrive. Biodiverse Containers cube by Beth Chatto gardens takes the same ethos and applies it to container gardens, which will also create a wildlife haven on your patio.
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