This garden discovers how small changes can care for water while still enabling gardensto thrive. It is designed to embrace sustainability and inspire visitors to care about water. Visitors will see how they can encourage biodiversity, reduce water use and prevent flooding, at home, in schools and community spaces, through plants thatneed less water, permeable paving, and explore how wildflower meadows can provide a habitat in your home.

It encourages conserving water by collecting rainfall or selecting drought-friendly plants, gardeners can help to ensure there’s enough water to go around in the future, and demonstrates how gardeners can be more sustainable and responsible by reducing their water usage.

A central Rainfall Pavilion will show the essential cycle of water that we all rely on to live and grow while aThames On Tap water bar will offer free refills of waterto visitors.Thames Water are building a better future for their customers, their region and the planet, and so this garden asks visitors to consider how they use water, the world’s most precious resource.

Planting and Colour Scheme 

The garden encourages a ‘less is more’ approach andwill demonstrate three main planting areas including drought tolerant, moisture tolerant and planting to encourage wildlife.The garden will have ‘teaching beds’ where children can learn abouthow fruit and vegetables are grown and their dependence on watering. Key plants include Eryngium giganteum, Agave americana, Sedum spathulifolium, Echinacea pallidaand Crambe maritima.

Plant list

Ornamental Pollinators and Dry Garden Plants

Convolvulus cneorum	Cistus 'Silver Pink'	Ballota pseudodictamnus
Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus Group	Verbena bonariensis	Santolina chamaecyparissus
Cynara cardunculus	Origanum laevigatum 'Herrenhausen'	Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Euphorbia myrsinites	Helianthemum 'The Bride'	Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead'
Verbascum (Cotswold Group) 'Gainsborough'	Elaeagnus 'Quicksilver'	Helichrysum italicum
Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood'	Gypsophila paniculata 'Bristol Fairy'	Eryngium x oliverianum
Eryngium giganteum	Lychnis coronaria 'Alba'	Eryngium agavifolium
Saponaria officinalis	Tanacetum vulgare	Limonium platyphyllum
Santolina pinnata subsp. neapolitana 'Edward Bowles'	Stachys byzantina	Kniphofia 'Tawny King'
Cistus x obtusifolius 'Thrive'	Festuca glauca	Helictotrichon sempervirens
Sedum oreganum	Linaria purpurea	Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies'
Euphorbia rigida	Crambe maritima	Salvia argentea
Linaria purpurea 'Canon Went'	Thymus serpyllum var. albus	Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta 'Blue Cloud'
Sesleria nitida	Echinacea pallida	Sedum spathulifolium
Penstemon 'Dark Towers'	Verbena hastata f. rosea	Salvia 'Nachtvlinder'
Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze'	Nepeta racemosa 'Little Titch'	Centranthus lecoqii
Allium schoenoprasum	Verbena hastata	Nepeta tuberosa
Phlomis 'Edward Bowles'

Rain Garden and Pond Edge Plants

Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'	Carex pendula	Asplenium trichomanes
Darmera peltata	Lythrum salicaria 'Robert'	Myosotis scorpioides
Lychnis flos-cuculi	Juncus effusus f. spiralis	Cyperus longus
Menyanthes trifoliata	Rodgersia aesculifolia	Lysimachia nummularia
Juncus inflexus	Mentha aquatica	Eleocharis palustris
Glyceria maxima var. variegata	Stachys palustris

Vegetable Teaching Garden Plants

Artemisia dracunculus French	Coriandrum sativum	Thymus serpyllum
Salvia officinalis	Mentha x piperita	Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris 'Boltardy'
Thymus Coccineus Group	Satureja hortensis	Lactuca sativa 'Little Gem'
Lactuca sativa 'Lollo Rossa'	Allium cepa 'North Holland Blood Red'	Pisum sativum 'Early Onward'
Fragaria x ananassa 'Cambridge Favorite'	Tropaeolum majus 'Black Velvet' (Tom Thumb Series)	Cucurbita pepo 'Romanesco'
Pisum sativum 'Blauwschokker'	Lactuca sativa 'Merveille de Quatre Saisons'	Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Nasturtium officinale	Ocimum basilicum 'Sweet Green'	Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group) 'Nero di Toscana'