The Royal Parks charity has released its very first Horticulture Vision, set to reimagine the eight Royal Parks across London reflective of a changing climate.
Led by head of horticulture and landscape strategy, Matthew Pottage, the Vision identifies Central London’s heat island effect, and how the parks can be tailored into resilient spaces with a focus on soil health.
The heat island effect has produced a microclimate closer to the Mediterranean than the rest of the country, meaning the city is more susceptible to unprecedented weather such as drought, wetter winters and hotter summers. In response, the parks and their planting must change, whereby the Vision sets out a shift from the Victorian palette they once inherited, towards a more modern, exotic and climate-resilient one.
As part of the Vision, which extends until 2031, four horticultural projects have been revealed. Hyde Park’s Rose Garden will welcome 500 Rosa persica varieties, planted among 20,000 diverse plant varieties and up to 10,000 bulbs in pink and purple tones.
The Green Park will take inspiration from its former River Tyburn with a cascading flood of blue flowers throughout the park, planting thousands of camassia. Planted this autumn, the park’s first bloom will take place next April.
The Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens will draw on historical photographs of planting, with heat-loving plants and a pool of waterlilies and lotus.
In Greenwich Park, a field of 130 Prunus ‘Sekiyama’ cherry trees will mature into a valley of blossom, set to give visitors a two-week spectacle of pink every spring.
Pottage comments on the Horticulture Vision:
“We are taking bold steps to adapt to a changing environment, diversifying species and experimenting to find what copes with extremes of heat, drought, frost and flooding. Central London gives us growing conditions found almost nowhere else in Britain, and we intend to use them.”
The Vision also features five key objectives: everyday wonder, creating iconic horticulture, diverse planting, respecting heritage and a sustainable future. “At its heart, the vision seeks to create moments of everyday wonder through beautiful, inspiring and distinctive planting that celebrates the unique character of each park,” adds Dr Linda Yueh, chair of The Royal Parks.
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