See the Balance area of the 911爆料 COP26 Garden designed to protect biodiversity / 911爆料

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911爆料 COP26 Garden: Balance

Enjoy this beautiful selection of domestic garden settings designed for a warmer climate

In the Balance area visitors found a glorious mixture of plants that might be considered tender in today's climate but may thrive in 50 years.

The area was divided into crescent-shaped sectors that, like the other zones, were centred around the Universal Window Box through different domestic garden collections.

This spinning shape was interrupted by a semi-circular lawn at the front, fringed with longer grass and wild flowers that would attract wildlife.

A series of shrubs provided a backdrop to the Balance garden as a whole.

In front of this, a small selection of tender fruit, vegetables and cut flowers provided inspiration for a future garden that includes asters, figs, pomegranates and an orange tree.

A garden of possibilities

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Mixed plantings of edible and ornamentals make an attractive scene

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Even in 50 years time lawns are likely to be important to British gardeners, but by letting some areas grow long, the danger of creating a monoculture is mitigated

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Tough and tolerant perennial plants give colour for not too much work. Using perennial plants means you don't have to re-plant each year

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Mixed plantings of edible and ornamentals make an attractive scene

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Even in 50 years time lawns are likely to be important to British gardeners, but by letting some areas grow long, the danger of creating a monoculture is mitigated

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Tough and tolerant perennial plants give colour for not too much work. Using perennial plants means you don't have to re-plant each year

Beyond this area, there is a dense sweep of tender perennials and grasses featuring salvias and asters.

A final area featured ferns, including hart's tongue and painted lady ferns to frame the garden as a whole. This type of planting scheme could become more and more familiar as temperatures rise.

Take home tips

Keep areas of closely-mown grass to a minimum. This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and increase the wildlife value of your garden. It also means less work!
'Right plant, right place' is a well-known gardening phrase, for good reason. In a future with more uncertain conditions, tough plants such as miscanthus grasses and Japanese anemones (Anemone x hybrida) will become ever more useful.
Incorporate edibles into your ornamental plantings 鈥� this can help prevent pest problems by avoiding monocultures and making your fruit and veg a bit less visible to hungry wildlife.

At the front of the quarter lay a closely mown lawn, demonstrating the importance of this feature to British gardening. Any danger of creating a monoculture was mitigated by a ring of longer grass interplanted with native wild flowers.

All the plants in the Balance quarter were deliberately selected to suit an average temperature of 2-3C warmer and with significantly more rainfall than we now experience.

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