Tom Massey is one of the leading designers of his generation and his new book, RHS Resilient Garden (published by DK in April) is a climate emergency call to action for us all to garden more sustainably.
In an exclusive evening to mark the publication, hear Tom and some of the book’s expert contributors discuss the important issue of climate-resilient gardening. Grounded in the latest RHS research, Tom’s future-focused book reveals his design for a garden that will withstand our variable and changing climate, with insights from world-leading scientists, horticultural experts and growers. The evening will be chaired by Chris Young, who will welcome guests Tayshan Hayden-Smith, Dr Tijana Blanusa, Dr Hayley Jones on stage, and Thomas Rainer online from the USA, joining Tom Massey for a panel discussion on resilient gardening.
How can we design our gardens and green spaces to become more adaptable in a warming climate? How resilient are gardens, in the face of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and drought or excessive rainfall and flooding? Why should we be planting our own food forests, adopting green roof and swale planting, harvesting rainwater, or adding hügelkultur mounds? What are the best plants to cool the air and trap harmful pollutants?
Signed copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event.
Speaker bios
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Tom Massey
Tom Massey
Tom Massey is an award-winning garden designer and principal designer at Tom Massey Studio where he designs gardens for private and commercial clients, public spaces, shows, and festivals in the UK and overseas. He strives to produce sustainable gardens that support wildlife, promote biodiversity, and enhance the local environment.
Tom has designed and exhibited two gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show: in 2018, he was awarded an RHS Silver- Gilt Medal for the Lemon Tree Trust Garden, and in 2021, the Yeo Valley Organic Garden received an RHS Gold Medal and the BBC People’s Choice Award. In May 2023 Tom will return to Main Avenue with a garden for the Royal Entomological Society, supported by Project Giving Back.
Tom featured on the BBC television series 'Your Garden Made Perfect', designing gardens focused on supporting wildlife, promoting biodiversity, and experimenting with unusual growing mediums. RHS Resilient Garden is his first book.
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Thomas Rainer
Thomas Rainer
Thomas Rainer is a landscape architect and a leading voice in ecological landscape design. A specialist in using pioneering planting concepts to design ecologically functional landscapes, he is influenced by wild landscapes in his designs for planting schemes that thrive in the urban environment.
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Tayshan Hayden-Smith
Tayshan Hayden-Smith
Tayshan Hayden-Smith is a social activist, guerrilla gardener, and RHS Ambassador. He founded Grow2know in 2019 with the aim of making horticulture accessible to all.
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Dr Tijuana Blanusa
Dr Tijuana Blanusa
Dr Tijuana Blanusa is a principal horticultural scientist at the RHS and leads the Ecosystem Services Research Programme, identifying plant characteristics that might be linked to better delivery of ambient cooling, rainfall capture and air quality and looking at the environmental value of gardens and urban green infrastructure.
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Dr Hayley Jones
Dr Hayley Jones
Dr Hayley Jones is a Senior Entomologist at the Royal Horticultural Society. She conducts scientific research and provides advice on the variety of insects and other animal life that can be found in gardens. She leads RHS slug and snail research, finding ways to manage plant damage by these misunderstood creatures in a sustainable and wildlife-friendly way.
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Chris Young
Chris Young
Chris Young is a landscape designer and consultant, and Consultant Gardening Publisher for DK Books. Chris was formerly Head of Editorial for the Royal Horticultural Society and is the author of the RHS Encyclopaedia of Garden Design.
