Yard of the Week: Beautiful Garden With Flood-Resistant Features
A garden featured at the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show offers solutions for managing excess water and potential flooding
Flooding can be both expensive and traumatic, so it’s good to know that anyone who has even a modest outdoor plot can play a role in reducing that risk by including water-resilient features. Essentially, the more landscapes there are that effectively deal with water, the better it is for everybody.
The Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden by Naomi Slade and Ed Barsley, showcased this spring at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, demonstrates how practicality doesn’t mean sacrificing a beautiful space. With ways to capture, store, slow and release water subtly woven into the design, the small show garden demonstrates it’s possible to have an attractive, enjoyable space that also safely channels water into the ground and out of storm drains.
The Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden by Naomi Slade and Ed Barsley, showcased this spring at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, demonstrates how practicality doesn’t mean sacrificing a beautiful space. With ways to capture, store, slow and release water subtly woven into the design, the small show garden demonstrates it’s possible to have an attractive, enjoyable space that also safely channels water into the ground and out of storm drains.
Key to the water management are these roomy galvanized metal tanks, which capture and store rain for later use and also act as ornamental ponds. Some can be used as dipping ponds, while one large one has smart technology outfitted to release water automatically — important before rain hits.
“When it rains, most [rain barrels] are already full, and with these sudden, sharp downpours we’ve been having, it’s important to reduce runoff,” Slade says. “So the idea is that you have a [rain barrel] that you can release ahead of the downpour, so the water soaks into the ground and makes it more absorbent when the rain comes.” The cistern will also be free to capture another load of water.
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“When it rains, most [rain barrels] are already full, and with these sudden, sharp downpours we’ve been having, it’s important to reduce runoff,” Slade says. “So the idea is that you have a [rain barrel] that you can release ahead of the downpour, so the water soaks into the ground and makes it more absorbent when the rain comes.” The cistern will also be free to capture another load of water.
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Here, the released water flows into a swale, which channels rainwater into a pond, where it can slowly seep away.
So if you have an area that tends to get boggy in wet weather, consider embracing that and fill it with plants that don’t mind getting a little soggy. “If you have a pond and a bog garden, the water has somewhere to go, so it stops runoff,” Slade says. “And it means the water soaks into the ground and is there for the roots of the plants, which makes them more drought-resilient as well.”
What about water-loving plants in hot, dry periods? “With a lot of pond marginals, such as marsh marigolds [Caltha palustris, USDA zones 3 to 7; find your zone] and sedges, as long as the ground doesn’t dry out entirely, they don’t really mind. They don’t need to be very wet all the time,” Slade says. “Marsh marigolds, for example, flower early in the year and go dormant in drier months.”
The planting is dense, partly to slow the flow of water and partly to create habitats. “I’ve included some wild species, because they’re genetically diverse and I wanted to reference how natural landscapes cope,” she says. Plants include ones that enjoy boggy ground, such as Ranunculus, ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi, zones 5 to 8) and irises, and varieties that can handle a range of conditions, such as ferns, foxgloves, Verbascum and Geum.
Note: Check with a local landscape design pro or your local nursery before planting, as some of these plants might spread in your region or your yard’s conditions.
So if you have an area that tends to get boggy in wet weather, consider embracing that and fill it with plants that don’t mind getting a little soggy. “If you have a pond and a bog garden, the water has somewhere to go, so it stops runoff,” Slade says. “And it means the water soaks into the ground and is there for the roots of the plants, which makes them more drought-resilient as well.”
What about water-loving plants in hot, dry periods? “With a lot of pond marginals, such as marsh marigolds [Caltha palustris, USDA zones 3 to 7; find your zone] and sedges, as long as the ground doesn’t dry out entirely, they don’t really mind. They don’t need to be very wet all the time,” Slade says. “Marsh marigolds, for example, flower early in the year and go dormant in drier months.”
The planting is dense, partly to slow the flow of water and partly to create habitats. “I’ve included some wild species, because they’re genetically diverse and I wanted to reference how natural landscapes cope,” she says. Plants include ones that enjoy boggy ground, such as Ranunculus, ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi, zones 5 to 8) and irises, and varieties that can handle a range of conditions, such as ferns, foxgloves, Verbascum and Geum.
Note: Check with a local landscape design pro or your local nursery before planting, as some of these plants might spread in your region or your yard’s conditions.
Flood resilience doesn’t mean turning the whole plot into a bog garden, though. In this design, Slade has created a mound at the far end, topped by a quince tree (Cydonia oblonga, zones 4 to 9).
“If you mound up the soil, you create areas of better drainage, so you can plant things on it that don’t like getting wet feet, such as fruit trees, roses and peonies,” she says. “You can’t grow roses in a bog, so you create an area that isn’t boggy. That means people can still grow their favorites.” A raised bed can have a similar effect of lifting plants into drier soil.
Big, woody plants have huge benefits. “If you plant something on a big root stock, it will have a nice big root system that will grow down into the ground and reach the water in drought,” Slade says. “And when the ground gets soggy, it will anchor it, making it less likely to fall over.
“Giving trees and shrubs a really sturdy basis to grow well is good for the environment,” she says. “They are longer-lived, so they catch more carbon; they support wildlife; they provide structure for the [landscape] and shade for cooling; and they slow the rate at which rain falls to the ground.”
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“If you mound up the soil, you create areas of better drainage, so you can plant things on it that don’t like getting wet feet, such as fruit trees, roses and peonies,” she says. “You can’t grow roses in a bog, so you create an area that isn’t boggy. That means people can still grow their favorites.” A raised bed can have a similar effect of lifting plants into drier soil.
Big, woody plants have huge benefits. “If you plant something on a big root stock, it will have a nice big root system that will grow down into the ground and reach the water in drought,” Slade says. “And when the ground gets soggy, it will anchor it, making it less likely to fall over.
“Giving trees and shrubs a really sturdy basis to grow well is good for the environment,” she says. “They are longer-lived, so they catch more carbon; they support wildlife; they provide structure for the [landscape] and shade for cooling; and they slow the rate at which rain falls to the ground.”
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A decked area is sheltered by a pergola. “The [yard] should be usable before, during and after heavy rain,” Slade says. “With the covered pergola, you can sit on the deck and watch the drops come down.”
Disconnected downpipes help water cascade along the gutter and flow down rain chains into the tanks. If the water begins to rise too much, flood defenses can be slotted into the building across the front of the patio doors.
There are lots of recycled materials in the landscape, including the pergola, which is made from old school gates; a bridge and the deck made from reclaimed fallen trees; and stepping stones formed of salvaged chunks of York stone. “We’ve used very few virgin materials,” Slade says.
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Disconnected downpipes help water cascade along the gutter and flow down rain chains into the tanks. If the water begins to rise too much, flood defenses can be slotted into the building across the front of the patio doors.
There are lots of recycled materials in the landscape, including the pergola, which is made from old school gates; a bridge and the deck made from reclaimed fallen trees; and stepping stones formed of salvaged chunks of York stone. “We’ve used very few virgin materials,” Slade says.
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In making sure the yard is usable, Slade has also created access to every area, with a nice circular journey from the deck and back again.
“There’s a bridge across the top of the [landscape], which means you can do ordinary things, such as access the compost bin or go to the seat under the tree without going through the soggy area,” she says. “Stepping stones then go round the bottom of the [yard], which means you can do a circuit.
“The bottom of the [site] is where you become immersed in the watery green landscape, with a beautiful pond and little stream when it rains,” she adds. “You can enjoy that sense of immersion.”
The patio has gaps in between the stones, so when the water level rises, it can rise up into the patio. “There’s a quality of dynamism about it, and it allowed me to plant between the stones,” Slade says.
“There’s a bridge across the top of the [landscape], which means you can do ordinary things, such as access the compost bin or go to the seat under the tree without going through the soggy area,” she says. “Stepping stones then go round the bottom of the [yard], which means you can do a circuit.
“The bottom of the [site] is where you become immersed in the watery green landscape, with a beautiful pond and little stream when it rains,” she adds. “You can enjoy that sense of immersion.”
The patio has gaps in between the stones, so when the water level rises, it can rise up into the patio. “There’s a quality of dynamism about it, and it allowed me to plant between the stones,” Slade says.
Various seating places along the route give different views. “It’s not just a case of looking at the [landscape] from the house or deck,” Slade says. “You can sit on the little patio and watch the dragonflies, or you can sit under the tree and look toward the house or down into the swale.”
The log pile behind the tree forms both a bug hotel and a ramp up the mound. “It’s designed to allow beetle larvae, worms, creatures who can’t survive in water to escape,” Slade says. “The more elements in an environment that can survive a flood situation, the quicker that environment will recover. All those microorganisms will be able to populate the area and rehabilitate it.”
To bring everything in the [landscape] together, the designers turned to Belderbos Landscapes. “They’ve been involved since the autumn, because it was their job to make it work on the day,” Slade says. “They’re amazing, professional and supportive — and a bit like the drum and bass on a music track, making sure it all hangs together.”
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The log pile behind the tree forms both a bug hotel and a ramp up the mound. “It’s designed to allow beetle larvae, worms, creatures who can’t survive in water to escape,” Slade says. “The more elements in an environment that can survive a flood situation, the quicker that environment will recover. All those microorganisms will be able to populate the area and rehabilitate it.”
To bring everything in the [landscape] together, the designers turned to Belderbos Landscapes. “They’ve been involved since the autumn, because it was their job to make it work on the day,” Slade says. “They’re amazing, professional and supportive — and a bit like the drum and bass on a music track, making sure it all hangs together.”
To Manage Stormwater Sustainably, Understand Your Site
Residential landscapes increasingly provide a front line of defense against this growing threat to homes. “We can work on flooding collectively,” Slade says. “One flood-resistant [landscape] is a great thing, but if you can get an entire street with flood-resistant [landscapes], think of the volume of water you could capture.”
Tell us: Which of the garden’s features do you find most inspiring? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Tell us: Which of the garden’s features do you find most inspiring? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read gardening guides
Find a landscape contractor to help with your project
Shop for outdoor furniture
Show: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
Location: London
Designers: Award-winning consultant garden expert Naomi Slade and expert in environmental design Ed Barsley
Builder: Belderbos Landscapes, in association with Water Artisans
Using a mixture of sustainable drainage systems principles and good horticulture, Slade and Barsley have created a small show garden that reflects the dynamism of a natural landscape.
“[Landscapes] are often perceived as having a fixed state — a lawn, a terrace and some flowerbeds, but this one is designed to roll with the punches,” Slade says. “So when there’s a lot of water, it fills up, and it’s designed to accommodate and store that, but is still usable and looks nice. Then, as it drains down and dries up, it’s also still usable and looks nice.”
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