Join award-winning garden designer Tom Massey for the launch of his new book, RHS Waterwise Garden: Sustain Your Garden Through Drought & Flood.
Water is vital to a flourishing garden. In Waterwise Garden, multi award-winning garden designer Tom Massey explains how to design a garden that will use water efficiently, withstand drought and mitigate flooding, joined by Arit Anderson, garden designer and broadcaster; Sheila Das, Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust; and Mark Gush, Head of Environmental Horticulture at the RHS.
With a changing climate, it can be difficult to know how to create a beautiful garden that is fit to thrive in an uncertain future. In this talk, the panel will share practical design and planting tips that will help transform any outside space into a water-absorbing, water-saving haven.
Published in association with the RHS and written in close collaboration with its science team, RHS Waterwise Garden explores why we must value water, how thoughtful garden design can build resilience, and what gardeners can do to be more waterwise at home. From enhancing the permeability of hard surfaces and managing water flow, to selecting plants and features that absorb excess rain, Tom Massey offers innovative solutions for gardens of every size.
Speakers
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Tom Massey
Tom Massey
Tom grew up in south-west London and spent his childhood exploring Richmond Park, with long summers on the Roseland Peninsula in rural Cornwall—formative experiences that sparked a deep love of the natural world. After studying Animation at the Arts University Bournemouth, he pursued a range of creative paths—from advertising and events to the renovation of a disused warehouse in Hackney, which he transformed into a co-working space and café. Drawn to landscape design as a discipline that unites creative thinking with tangible, nature-based outcomes, Tom trained at the London College of Garden Design, based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, graduating with distinction in 2015.
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Arit Anderson
Arit Anderson
Arit Anderson studied garden design at Capel Manor College and rose quickly to success at RHS Chelsea 2013 winning the Fresh Talent category followed by a Gold Medal at RHS Hampton Court in 2016 for her own show garden which highlighted the need for renewable energy. She is a presenter for BBC Gardeners' World, hosts a popular podcast 'Growing Greener' and writes for national publications all of which enable her to open up the debate about the future of gardening in a changing climate to a wide audience.
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Dr Mark Gush
Dr Mark Gush
Mark heads up the Environmental Horticulture research group, within the Science and Collections Division of the RHS. Based at RHS Garden Wisley, he manages a team of 11 scientists and technicians with expertise in plant physiology, soil health, growing media, water management, horticultural sustainability and human well-being, linked to horticulture, gardens and gardening.
Prior to joining the RHS in 2018, he was a scientist and research group leader with the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa for over 20 years, specialising in tree water-use, land-use hydrology and catchment-scale water resource management within the agricultural & forestry sectors. -
Sheila Das
Sheila Das
Sheila Das is Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust.
Having changed career in the early 2000’s, Sheila studied at Kew, worked for English Heritage, and was a garden manager at RHS Garden Wisley with responsibility for Education, Edibles, Seed and Wellbeing from 2015 to 2024. This time included the development of the hilltop gardens at Wisley which feature gardens for Wildlife, Wellbeing and Food. Sheila is passionate about growing food in sustainable ways to support planetary and human health, and was instrumental in developing Wisley’s planet friendly gardening initiative to develop actions towards increasing biodiversity and sharing knowledge around sustainability and resilience in horticulture. Sheila is now Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust and carries out a lead role for horticulture across all the National Trust gardens.
Sheila Das studied at Kew, worked for English Heritage, and was a garden manager at RHS Garden Wisley from 2015 to 2024. Sheila is passionate about growing food in sustainable ways to support planetary and human health, and was instrumental in developing Wisley’s ‘planet friendly’ gardening initiative. Sheila is now Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust and carries out a lead role for horticulture across all the National Trust gardens.
