Chelsea gardens highlight planet's fragile ecosystems

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Herbs are not often referred to within the delicate, pruned gardens at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea flower show. But the past few years have seen a subtle shift towards climate-friendly gardening.

From trees that help reduce the effects of global warming to plants with beneficial properties, exhibitors at this year's show are displaying how gardens can help the planet and our health.

Tom Dixon's Gardening Will Save the World design, in association with Swedish furniture store Ikea, is one of the gardens showing how technology can be used to create an eco-friendly miniature farm inside homes.

Functional food crops are raised on vertical warehouse racking, using hydroponics, a system to grow plants without soil.

"What we've done here is also what's happening in city farms," Dixon told CGTN. "It's the sort of thing that uses very little land space and requires much less water – way below a third of the consumption of a normal grain of crops."

These reishi mushrooms have been grown on volcanic-style mounds using a robotic arm. /CGTN Photo by Nosmot Gbadamosi

The plants are grown using LED lighting. Soil is replaced with a surface almost resembling cotton wool and packed with liquid nutrients. It may look clinical, but Dixon said "more people are using LED lights to increase the growing cycle."

"We need to, even in a tiny way, be responsible for our own consumption around the world," said Dixon.

Urban farming is booming. A 2018 study suggested 81 percent of millennial urban gardeners grow produce to cook. More than a quarter grow their own herbs.

Designers are not only showcasing innovative solutions in food growth, but also human-made landscapes. Regeneration is another word gaining momentum.

A visitor takes a photograph at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. /CGTN Photo by Nosmot Gbadamosi

Bamboos purify the air in the Harmonious Garden of Life, which looks at how gardens can regenerate our environment.

After living all her life in rural southern France, designer Laurélie de la Salle said she became increasingly aware of the problems of pollution and climate change.

"My goal is to send a message that a beautiful peaceful garden can be sustainable as well," she said. "Every single element of the garden is there for the regeneration process."

Water circulation is human and solar powered. At the center of the garden is a pergola with a swing: the motion of the swing activates a pump hidden under the decking that sends water from a pond to bedded plants before flowing back into the pond. A clover meadow is incorporated as a nitrogen fixer to help unlock nutrients for other plants.

Special gravel that absorbs energy during the day and afterwards emits a blue light has been used – this garden at night "will be full of little stars" de la Salle explained to CGTN.

Designers often seek global inspiration for their Chelsea show gardens. Taking center stage in Dixon's garden are reishi mushrooms used in Chinese medicine. "The mushrooms are used a lot in traditional Asian medicine to lower blood pressure," he explained.

Academics from University College London and Innsbruck University, in Austria, helped create anthill type sculptures from 3D printed soil hardened with agar gel. "These structures have been built by robots," said Dixon.

Trailfinders "Undiscovered Latin America" Garden. The Chelsea Flower Show in London emphasizes the benefits of trees. /CGTN Photo by Elizabeth Mearns

While Chelsea may be a world away from the rainforests of Chile, designer Jonathan Snow hopes visitors will be able to recreate some of the beauty of the Trailfinders "Undiscovered Latin America" Garden.

"In terms of raising awareness it just draws people's attention. I think most people wouldn't have a clue what monkey puzzles are and we've got 13 very striking monkey puzzles [trees]," said Snow.

Greenery on display is inspired by the rainforests that are under threat from logging and urbanization. But Chile's cool temperatures means evergreen ferns used by Snow can be grown in gardens without year-round warm weather. "In the right climate condition, it thrives, it's lush."

Concern about climate change is widespread, with a 2019 report suggesting species are facing extinction at rates unprecedented in human history. At Chelsea, ways to tackle this look set to dominate future displays.

"Sustainability is not an option. It's a priority," said de la Salle.

(Cover: Britain's Princess Beatrice of York visits the "Gardening Will Save The World" garden by IKEA and Tom Dixon at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. /Reuters Photo)