Creating Drought-Tolerant Gardens with Builders’ Waste
Contrary to popular belief, a garden doesn’t need soil for planting. Progressive gardeners are utilizing surplus construction materials such as concrete, gravel, sand, etc., to design gardens that are both drought-resistant and rich in biodiversity.
Located just off a bustling A road, London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens is a remarkable example of this. The museum’s entrance gardens, referred to as their “shop window” by head of horticulture, Errol Reuben Fernandes, have been filled with building waste, a seemingly bold move.
However, for Fernandes, it makes perfect sense. These ‘rubble gardens’ offer an eco-friendly method to recycle discarded materials and design an ideal habitat for sturdy, drought-resistant plants, a crucial factor as our climate continues to change. The gardens also offer aesthetic appeal, diversifying an environment that was previously a monoculture.
Climate-Resilient Gardening with Rubble Gardens
With the help of 25 tonnes of waste concrete aggregate from a path redevelopment, the team at London’s Horniman Museum and Gardens has planted a wide range of xerophytes – plant species that thrive with little water. These plants come from various regions across the Mediterranean, as well as Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Mexico, which often experience extreme temperatures in summer and winter.
Alternative garden designs using rubble are being experimented with worldwide. Notably, Peter Korn, a garden designer from Malmö, Sweden, has introduced the use of sand-based planting. Simultaneously, John Little, a ‘brownfield gardening guru’ from Essex, is innovating these types of sites. These waste material gardens aren’t a new concept, with gardeners Beth Chatto and Derry Watkins starting to experiment with gravel gardens as early as the 90s.
Nathan Apperley, head gardener at Yeo Valley Organic, believes that rubble gardening could revolutionize how new homes are designed and built. He explains that the gardens of new homes often dishearten incoming residents. He advocates for rubble gardens, which not only present an alternative to traditional lush English gardens but are also beneficial for wildlife, attracting diverse populations of bees, beetles, and other insects.
Creating Rubble Gardens with Crushed Building Site Materials
Like Fernandes, Apperley and his team are creating their own rubble garden experiment at Yeo Valley Organic’s home farm in Blagdon, Somerset. Using crushed building site materials, they’re creating something “totally different” to the rest of the garden. The results through the drought this year have been impressive, according to Apperley.
These gardens aren’t just for public enjoyment. Elizabeth Waddington, a permaculture designer based in Scotland, focuses on creating regenerative spaces with long-term resilience. In her own home, a pile of rubble has since become home to a plethora of native wildflowers, with significantly fewer weeds than a composted garden. Rubble gardens might look a little different to what we’re used to, but that’s all part of the charm.
Creating Your Own Rubble Garden in 5 Steps
Designing a beautiful space from waste materials is not too tricky, but it requires planning. Here are Errol Reuben Fernandes’ top tips:
1. Use the Right Waste: Using materials that otherwise would have gone to landfill is a key part of rubble gardens’ eco credentials. It’s important to keep things as local as possible to avoid offsetting these benefits with transportation costs.
2. Shape Your Waste: Shaping your raw materials can make a big difference to a garden’s success. Fernandes suggests using local tool libraries for equipment to shape your waste or simply using a good mallet.
3. Choose Appropriate Plants: Many common garden favorites can work well in rubble gardens. The bold purple bulbs of Iris reticulata can offer color in the early spring. Other plants like Echinaceas, also known as coneflowers, may actually perform better in rubble than soil.
4. Mold a Layered Base: The layering of waste materials is just as important as what you choose to plant. Start with larger material at the bottom, getting finer as you reach the surface. This allows for drainage and helps xerophytes survive wet British winters.
5. Bed in Properly: When it comes to planting, avoid using compost. The process may feel difficult, but you have to trust it. Shake off the soil from the plant and then plant it directly into the aggregate. After an initial watering, the plant should take care of itself.
With these steps, anyone can create a beautiful and eco-friendly garden from waste materials.
