RHS Bursary Study Tour 2021
In October 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society awarded me a bursary to study brownfield and gravel gardens. Through a series of site visits, I observed how planting in aggregates can support resilient, low-maintenance landscapes while delivering significant benefits for biodiversity.
My report, Nature Rising from the Rubble, explored the use of aggregate substrates, plant establishment strategies, and the ecological value of these landscapes. In recognition of its contribution to horticultural knowledge, it won the prestigious main RHS prize in 2022 and is free to download via the Roots and All website or on request from the RHS Lindley Library (RHS Bursary Reports).
As part of the study tour, I visited a range of pioneering projects. In Essex, I explored the RHS Hyde Hall Dry Garden and Beth Chatto’s Gravel Garden. I also visited two projects by John Little: his private garden, Hilldrop, Horndon-on-the-Hill and car park for Langdon Nature Discovery Park. The tour concluded in London with a visit to the Horniman Museum Grasslands Garden designed by James Hitchmough.
Growing plants in aggregates can make establishment and long-term management easier. Aggregates provide a permanent, weed-seed-free surface and, with appropriate plant species, can support long-lived planting without irrigation. In addition, using recycled aggregates, such as crushed concrete, brick, or ceramic waste, offers a highly sustainable approach, as demonstrated by the work of John Little.
The low-fertility conditions created by variety of aggregate substrates and topography encourages a diverse mosaic of plant communities. As a result, these landscapes can support a wide range of wildlife and deliver significant biodiversity benefits. This approach has enormous potential at all scales to create planting schemes adapted to climate change for people and wildlife.