Alan Titchmarsh – Rain Man

The Rain Garden at the London Wetland Centre was officially opened on Wednesday by Alan Titchmarsh. He told us he felt it was an appropriate task for the man credited with bringing the ‘water-feature’ to our televisions. The demonstration garden – designed by Nigel Dunnett of Sheffield University and Matthew Wilson from The Landscape Agency – shows gardeners how to manage rain so that it becomes an asset rather than a problem. From the  green roof on the building (a cleverly converted shipping container) to the use of run off water in raised beds as well as the numerous ideas for insect, amphibian and bird habitats, the garden is full of  inspiration and useful information. The delicate beauty of the pictorial meadows (seeds from www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk) provided the finishing touch.  This type of meadow is far easier to grow than a wildflower meadow and is suitable for any garden.