Temperate rainforest © Ben Porter
Did you know that the British Isles are home to rainforests? Damp, mysterious, magical places full of moss, ferns and bird song.
These temperate rainforests may have once covered as much as 20% of the British Isles but now these scattered fragments make up only 1% of our land. At The Wildlife Trusts we’ve teamed up with Aviva on a 100-year project to protect, restore and connect these incredible places.
Moss and marasmius mushroom © Ben Porter
When I say the word ‘rainforest’, you probably think of tropical rainforests, found in places like Peru and Indonesia. But temperate rainforests are globally much rarer. Very few places in the world have the right climate and the UK is one of them.
It’s a common joke that it never stops raining here, but that’s a good thing for rainforests.
In fact, the British Isles have the best climactic conditions for temperate rainforests in the whole of Europe!
We’re one of the wettest places on the planet, and the regular rainfall year-round means that we can sustain a whole host of different plants, lichens and mosses.
That means this project isn’t just important for habitats here in the British Isles, it has a real impact globally too.
The Wildlife Trusts have never showcased a garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show before, but this felt like the perfect opportunity.
The British Rainforest Garden is a chance to shine a spotlight on this important habitat. Visitors who experience the garden may never have heard of temperate rainforests before or had the chance to visit them. The places where pockets of rainforest remain in the British Isles are often quite remote, in deep ravines and craggy areas. Few people have the chance to see them.
Ben Porter
There are also things that people can do in their gardens to take inspiration from temperate rainforest, and we really want to demonstrate what can be done in a small space. Shady, damp corners of gardens can be a host to all sorts of important wildlife and interesting mosses and ferns.
In the UK, moss has been much maligned. Yet in other parts of the world, like Japan, moss gardens are a thing of pride!
This garden will give moss its chance to shine, represent the essence of a rainforest and hopefully inspire people to embrace shade-loving plants in their gardens.
Temperate rainforests provide all sorts of services to us, not least the amazing ability to manage water. All the moss found there acts as a sponge. It soaks up the rain and releases it very slowly.
From the western side of northern England down to Wales, trees used to extend right up hillsides. If that was still the case, those areas would work really well at preventing floods and drought.
I’m looking forward to seeing people’s reactions to the garden – it’s not your typical garden! It’s going to really showcase a proper British habitat. I’m intrigued to see how people react to that, whether it they learn something new by seeing the garden and whether they’re inspired to go and visit a temperate rainforest.
I hope the RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden helps people to appreciate how important the UK’s habitats really are. We’re in a unique position and it means our woodlands are really very special. They’re globally important and we’re very lucky to live here and experience them.
Zoe Claymore
© Ben Porter
