Construction of 5.5m waterfall on the Gorilla Garden
Construction of a 5.5m waterfall that will form part of the back wall of the Fauna & Flora Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has begun. Adhering to the garden team’s mission to create a show garden that is as sustainable as possible, the waterfall, which is made of boulders weighing up to 4.7 tonnes, is being constructed entirely cement and concrete free.
Instead, an innovative Rootlok method that holds the boulders in place using bags filled with soil on a stable base, and stacked together with interlocking plates, is being applied. The Rootlok method has been engineered by GeoGrow Ltd, which is providing the materials and installation of the garden’s retaining wall and waterfall free of charge.
Designed by RHS Gold medal winner Jilayne Rickards and constructed by Tecwyn Evans of Living Landscapes, the Fauna & Flora Garden - situated at the top of the coveted Chelsea main avenue - will reimagine a slice of the volcanic landscape of the Afromontane region of Central Africa, home to the world-famous, much-loved mountain gorilla.
From the outset, Jilayne has worked to ensure sustainability is at the heart of the Fauna & Flora Garden. The boulders forming the waterfall are a waste product from agricultural farming, and following the show they will be returned to CED Stone Group - the organisation which has donated the boulders - to be used again.
On top of this, zero waste will be sent to landfill, all building materials are UK-sourced (from carbon neutral suppliers where possible), the majority of materials are recycled and there is minimal hard landscaping, with 85% of the garden planted. The majority of the plants have been grown in peat free compost and sourced in the UK.
Following the show, the Fauna & Flora Garden will be relocated to the Tropical Biome of the Eden Project in Cornwall, where it will help to educate and inspire around one million visitors a year.
Shining a light on Fauna & Flora’s partnership-led conservation work, the garden - which is sponsored by Project Giving Back - seeks to raise awareness of the vital importance of protecting nature around the world, and how this can be best achieved through collaborative, community-focussed conservation efforts. Since Fauna & Flora first started its mountain gorilla conservation work in 1978, population numbers have increased from just a few hundred to over 1,000.
To find out more about Fauna & Flora and its work to protect threatened wildlife and habitats across the world, please visit: www.fauna-flora.org