RHS Tatton 2023

In June 2023 we designed, built and displayed our garden at the RHS Tatton show. We named the garden “Dome Grown - What is the future for our food?”. We are interested in using the RHS Tatton Flower show to promote MUDs aims and draw attention to important social & environmental topics such as the climate crisis, poor mental health, reducing waste and using native plants as habitats and food sources for British wildlife.

Our garden, with Joe Swift filming in the background for Gardeners World

We wanted to use darkness & light to show plants thriving in contrasting conditions and how this idea could intersect with the RHS theme of 2023 “Sensory”. To create a dark area, we will plant and weave a willow dome and leave viewing holes for visitors to peer in.

The dome was inspired by the ‘Doom Loop’ which refers to the climate & ecological crisis and how the consequences of the crisis and the failure to address it draw focus and resources from tackling its causes.

The contrast between outside & inside the domes are representative of differing and rapidly changing environments that we are finding as horticulturists and society as a whole.

The darkness is also representative of our mental wellbeing - the panic, ‘eco-anxiety’ and helplessness many of us are feeling.

We chose to use UK native only plants to promote using these in our gardens as these are the best way to boost biodiversity in our gardens by creating habitat and food that UK wildlife is well adapted for.

As food growers, we wanted to demonstrate how growing food in the future will become a struggle and how we will have to be innovative to enable us to do so. We grew grape vines through and over the domed area to create more shade and mushrooms within the dome using shade and moisture to create the suitable environment.

The garden was well received and featured on the BBCs Gardeners World coverage where Joe Swift talked about the design, it’s meaning and it’s features.