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British Rainforest Garden finds permanent home at Bristol Zoo Project
Following the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The Wildlife Trusts’ British Rainforest Garden, which has been funded by grant-making charity Project Giving Back, is finding a forever home at Bristol Zoo Project.
Run by conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society, the zoo is set within 136 acres of woodland and meadow landscape.
The garden will inspire visitors to fall in love with temperate rainforests – one of the UK’s rarest and most precious habitats.
is needed now More than ever
These woodlands are found in regions with high rainfall and humidity (typically British weather), characterised by a cool, damp climate.
They are known for their abundant moisture and unique plant life, often including ferns, mosses, liverworts, and lichens.
A good example of this habitat could contain over 200 different species of bryophytes and 100-200 species of lichen.
But they are rare due to poor management that has allowed chronic overgrazing, as well as man-made changes such as clearances and conversion to other uses. This has left a small and fragmented resource.
Leaving them vulnerable to invasive species and disease like ash dieback.
Inspired by the ambitious 100-year mission of The Wildlife Trusts and insurance company Aviva, to bring rainforests back to the western edges of the UK, the garden’s legacy will be a permanent educational space just outside Bristol.
This will be more than a garden: it will be a living classroom, a spark for future conservationists and a celebration of the fantastic wildlife found on our own doorstep.
The garden aims to evoke the lush, wet woodland that once swathed the west coast of Britain, the Isle of Man and Ireland.
Boulders and dead wood will evoke the ancient woodlands which once cloaked our western coast and seating will provide a space to soak up the shade.
Lush undergrowth, lichen-encrusted trunks, honeysuckle and ivy will bring the rainforest to life and ferns will thrive in the dappled light.
In turn providing an opportunity for visitors to learn about this precious habitat and be inspired to support its restoration.
The British Rainforest Garden is due to open to the public at Bristol Zoo Project in October in the Sanctuary Garden, which explores the importance of gardens and natural habitats as places of health and wellbeing for people, as well as essential for the future of wildlife.
Justin Morris, chief executive of Bristol Zoological Society, says: “We are extremely excited about the arrival of the British Rainforest Garden later this year.
“It will fit perfectly into our Sanctuary Garden. This area will form the beginning of a new ‘gardens’ biome at Bristol Zoo Project.
“Visitors will be encouraged to pause and reflect on the value of gardens and natural habitats as places of health and wellbeing, and to consider how they can take action to protect wildlife in these precious environments.”
Garden designer Zoe Claymore says: “I am absolutely delighted that our British rainforest garden has a forever home at Bristol Zoo Project.
“The chance to educate the next generation of conservationist and gardeners is truly a huge honour and I and my team are proud to play a part in this.”
A mock-up picture of how the garden appears at the RHS show. It’s yet to be known what it will look like when it makes its way over to Bristol – image: 2020 Vision
Kathryn Brown, director of Climate Change and Evidence at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “How magical to rehome this little rainforest garden in a place already loved by generations of families.
“Children will love playing among the trees – and as their canopies spread and the moss and lichen green the rocks, it’ll come to feel like Harry Potter’s enchanted forest.”
The garden has been designed to be low carbon, with no concrete, clay, peat compost or virgin wood used in the design.
All plants (including trees) are sourced from UK nurseries using peat-free compost.
The garden is sponsored by Project Giving Back.
Visitors are invited to see the garden at site number 340 throughout Chelsea week from Tuesday, May 20 to Saturday, May 24.
Main photo: 2020 Vision
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