The importance of a flood resilient garden

The Flood Re: Flood Resilient Garden was launched at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2024 where it won a silver medal. It was a collaboration between Flood Re, environmental expert Dr. Ed Barsley and garden designer Naomi Slade.

The garden was designed to demonstrate how an ordinary terrace house garden could incorporate flood resilient design while remaining beautiful. It featured an artificial rain effect and the garden was periodically ‘flooded’ on purpose to simulate how the garden adapts and reacts to heavy rainfall.

The Rain Garden was Flood Re’s second RHS garden, but this time launched at the Malvern Spring Festival in May 2025. Designed by John Howlett it showcased how an urban space can be transformed into a thriving, nature-friendly sanctuary.

The garden was inspired by Japanese tea houses and created a space for relaxation and reflection. As well as being a beautiful space the garden was also flood resilient with large water storage tanks fed from rain chains as well as a swale to slow the flow of rainwater.

Following the show The Rain Garden was relocated to a primary school giving teachers, children and the local community a lasting resource to learn about sustainable water management.

Following a hugely successful RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 work began to permanently rehome the Flood Re: Flood Resilient Garden at Howbery Business Park in Oxfordshire. The site was chosen because of its links to hydrology research and flood resilience being home to HR Wallingford and the National Flood School.

Almost all of the features, elements and materials from the original garden were reused in the reimagined garden at Howbery. The garden is open to the public, free of charge, on weekdays and now acts as an educational resource for many years to come.

Flood Re: Contain the Rain is Flood Re’s newest garden coming to RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. The container garden is inspired by Persian and Moroccan design and aims to showcase how a compact urban design can be beautiful and purposeful.

Rain chains slow the flow of water while smart water storage tanks link to the weather forecast and soil moisture sensors to manage water in all conditions. Permeable surfaces allow excess rainwater to absorb into the ground reducing the risk of surface water flooding.

Slowing the flow of rainwater is key to reducing surface water flood risk. This could be done by using things like rain chains instead of traditional guttering. Rain chains slow the flow of water allowing it more time to soak into the ground instead of overwhelming drainage systems. Dense planting can also help slow the flow of rainwater and help to reduce the risk of surface water flooding as well as the plants absorbing more water from the soil.

Storing water for later use is another way of improving the flood resilience of outside spaces. Not only does this create extra capacity for rainwater runoff from roofs and sheds but also means the water can be reused later. Smart water butts can automatically manage water levels depending on the weather forecast, releasing stored water before heavy rain which creates capacity as well as softening the ground after dry weather meaning water can be absorbed more easily.

Using permeable surfaces can dramatically increase flood resilience by giving water somewhere to soak away rather than running off into drainage systems or pooling on hard surfaces. RHS research found that artificial grass covers 7.5 million m² in domestic gardens across the UK*, adding a huge burden on drainage systems as water cannot soak into the ground in the same way it would with real grass.

As well as lawns there are also flood resilient choices you can make when it comes to driveways, paths and patios. By using permeable surfaces in these areas you can give water somewhere to soak away rather than rushing off directly into drainage systems which are often overwhelmed. Instead of a tarmac driveway you could choose gravel or grass with permeable sections for a vehicle to drive onto for example.

* www.rhs.org.uk/press/releases/first-ever-ai-mapping-of-uk%E2%80%99s-growing-spaces-r-(1)

Check out our Flood Resilient Garden hotspots for more ideas on making your outside space flood resilient.