About the project:
At RHS Garden Wisley: The Greener Skills Garden is the first of five planned gardens across all RHS Sites. The new gardens are designed to inspire and equip the next generation of horticulturists and encourage RHS visitors with up to date Planet-friendly Gardening tips backed from research by the RHS Science team.
Dave Green Gardens was selected for the project in 2023 and acting as the Principal Designer was heavily involved in all aspects of the garden from creating the design layout, to supporting the planning application and assisting with Biodiversity Net gains calculations.
The Greener Skills Garden has been designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible within the garden setting, to help participants of all backgrounds and experience levels benefit from the space. One of the striking aspects of the garden is that it will be planted by volunteer groups over time and so unusually for the opening the planting was not complete, it will completed over the next two years.
Sustainability was also a key design criteria and the whole garden is entirely off-grid. Irrigation will come from water captured and stored within the garden. There will be no mains power either; all our electricity will be generated by solar panels on the roof of the garden’s main building. All plant material will be composted within the garden; woodier materials will be used to create dead hedges, providing habitat for a variety of wildlife. The organic matter from the compost toilet – the first of its kind in RHS gardens – will be mulched onto the ornamental planting beds.
This fantastic project was opened on Fri 17 October 2025.
