The Royal Horticultural Society has announced a comprehensive emergency strategy designed to protect its renowned public gardens from the growing threat of severe water shortages across the United Kingdom. The environmental charity, which operates five significant gardens in England, is implementing a major shift in its approach to water resource management in response to increasingly volatile weather patterns driven by climate change.
Investing in Water Security for 2026 and Beyond
Following the severe droughts experienced last year, which included the driest spring in 132 years and the hottest summer on record, the RHS has confirmed it will invest substantially in new water-capture and water-management projects starting in 2026. This initiative represents a proactive adaptation to what the society describes as the "new normal" of water scarcity.
The charity's plans involve a thorough review of water allocation across all its garden sites: Wisley in Surrey, Hyde Hall in Essex, Rosemoor in Devon, Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, and Bridgewater in Greater Manchester. This strategic assessment aims to ensure the most efficient use of every available drop as drought conditions become more frequent.
Practical Measures for Garden Resilience
The RHS is urging the UK's 34 million gardeners to mirror its practical measures during the coming winter and spring seasons to maximise rainwater capture. Recommended techniques include preparing soil through hollow tining, chop and drop methods, and mulching to improve water retention. Gardeners are also encouraged to create dedicated rain gardens, install rainwater storage facilities, and carefully consider whether existing plants are positioned optimally for water efficiency.
Tim Upson, the RHS Director of Horticulture, emphasised the critical importance of water management: "Water is the lifeblood of any garden – important not only to human health and wellbeing but the broader environment and wildlife. We, like gardeners nationwide, are having to adapt to prioritising collection, storage and management of rainwater as well as relocating and reassessing our collections to future-proof them."
Specific Projects and Research Initiatives
The 2026 projects will focus on several key areas of water conservation and management. These include increasing water storage capacity in tanks and lakes, installing innovative ebb-and-flow benches in retail centres to significantly reduce water usage, and investing in widespread rain garden installations across RHS properties.
Beyond infrastructure improvements, the charity will conduct important research on soil health within its gardens and continue to quantify both individual plant and whole landscape water consumption. Additionally, the RHS will explore expanded use of grey-water – cleaner wastewater from domestic sources like baths, showers, sinks, and washing machines – as part of its comprehensive water strategy.
Detailed Planning for Extreme Scenarios
Upson revealed that the updated water management plan "gets into the nitty-gritty" of emergency scenarios, including determining where a final bucket of water might be deployed in each garden during extreme shortages. "That's the reality of the situation we need to prepare for and we would be foolish not to," he stated, highlighting the seriousness with which the organisation approaches future water security challenges.
To better understand water requirements and provide accurate advice to British gardeners, the RHS is systematically recording water usage across different garden landscapes. This includes detailed monitoring of trees, herbaceous perennial borders, turf lawns, and vegetable gardens to establish precise water use patterns.
Balancing Plant Health with Water Conservation
The society acknowledges the delicate balance required in water management, noting that while building plant resilience through reduced watering is important, excessive water stress can leave plants vulnerable to health issues and reduced flowering capacity. This reduction in floriferousness has significant knock-on effects for both wildlife and human enjoyment of garden spaces.
Using the data collected from its monitoring programmes, the RHS aims to predict water use patterns more accurately and prepare for future planting schemes and water resource management as the climate crisis continues to accelerate. This scientific approach represents a significant evolution in how major horticultural institutions are responding to environmental challenges.
The comprehensive water strategy marks a fundamental shift in the RHS's approach to the climate crisis, moving from general awareness to specific, actionable adaptation measures that address the growing impacts of planet-warming emissions on one of gardening's most essential resources.
