Would you love to explore the enchanted forests of The Lord of the Rings or the magical woods of Mabinogion Welsh myths? Losing yourself in a mossy, fern-filled wilderness?  

We’re thrilled to be bringing a garden inspired by our wet and wonderful rainforests to RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, designed by award-winning Zoe Claymore – The Wildlife Trusts’ British Rainforest Garden.  

Sponsored by grant giving charity Project Giving Back and generously supported by our British Rainforest programme partner, Aviva, the Rainforest Garden will give visitors the opportunity to learn about this lush, wet woodland which once swathed the west coast of Britain, the Isle of Man and the island of Ireland – and be inspired to support its restoration.  

We wanted to dive into what it takes to design a fern-filled haven, so we sat down with Zoe to ask her some questions… 

What inspired you when designing this garden?  

This garden is a marriage between my childhood haunt, those twisted roots and mossy trunks of the trees in Lydford Gorge-  a rainforest by my grandparents’ home - and the work of The Wildlife Trusts and Aviva to bring them back.

I was lucky enough to be sent on a reccy to see some of the rainforests Wildlife Trusts are looking after, including Devon Wildlife Trust’s Dart Valley Nature Reserve, which has also been a huge source of inspiration, particularly for the very special water feature within the design. I was inspired by the woodland plants and trees and reflected on what could be possible if someone wanted to translate the woodland into a more domestic garden.  

What are the challenges to building a garden like this? 

It’s a real undertaking! To be honest keeping the moss alive is the main thing I’m nervous about - as we’ve got a south facing full sun plot. Another challenge though is, because we are striving for a lower footprint in the construction, we are using more smaller businesses and local sourcing for this garden; challenging the conventional ways of doing things (no concrete or steel to make the temporary stud wall to hold up the moss and fern wall). 

It takes up more time to source materials and work with local, smaller suppliers – but it’s worth it to demonstrate just what’s possible on such a big platform.  

How can gardeners take inspiration in their own garden?  

Well, the first thing to get inspired by is the plants. We’ve chosen several plants and trees in the garden not just for their importance in the environment, but also because they are readily available to gardeners across the UK, allowing them to replicate at home. You can pick up the full plant list on The Wildlife Trusts’ website from show week.  

If you want more help, I’m also creating a handy how-to guide with some project ideas available on my website from May. Some of my favourites include silver birch - a common rainforest tree, which improves soil quality and supports over 300 insect species! Cow parsley is the often-over-looked unsung hero of wildlife gardening, attracting everything from orange-tip butterflies to marmalade hoverflies. Hazel provides food and shelter for butterflies, birds and dormice, and when done sensitively, coppicing hazel gives a renewable wood for garden structures.  

I also hope gardeners will be inspired by the ethos to buy local and sustainably, whilst embracing a bit of imperfection.

By choosing great plants, natural building materials and reclaiming where you can, I want to show how we can create a gorgeous wildlife-friendly garden that is much more considerate to the planet. 

What do you hope visitors take away with them?  

That we have rainforests! It’s surprising how little we know about our own rainforests in the UK. These special places are worthy of protection, and I’d encourage everybody to learn more about The Wildlife Trusts’ temperate rainforest restoration programme with Aviva.  

I’d also love for visitors to be inspired to incorporate mosses and lichens into their gardens. They’re such an important part of our ecosystem. We couldn’t design a rainforest garden without them – although it is keeping me up at night!