The Water Saving Garden by Chiltern Garden Design, sponsored by Affinity Water.
The reason for the Scottish contingent you ask? Well, it is because the garden was designed around Tanker Irrigation, an innovative and flexible sub soil irrigation and water conservation product designed and manufactured in Scotland by local Edinburgh company, Livingreen Design.
Local Roots
In fact, Tanker’s roots go deeper, back to the 1970s when local Landscape Architect James Hope developed a version of it for his stunning vertical garden schemes which have proven to be way ahead of their time. James’s son Dorian took on the development of the product and later joined Livingreen Design who oversaw the product maturing into the complete system it is today – 100% designed and manufactured here.
How It Works
Consisting of 3 distinct but related systems, 2 of which can be linked in series, all Tanker units are subsoil reservoirs that are located beneath the plant rootball at the time of planting (see box and pics).
Once filled with water via an above ground filler pipe, the water in the reservoir wets out a crafty wick positioned on the top surface of the tank. This is the heart and brains of the system and is a specially developed geotextile membrane (and definitely NOT ‘felt’ as it has been referred to on occasion!) that transports the water from the tank by capillary action into the soil ONLY when it dries through a combination of evaporation and the needs of the plant’s roots. It actually keeps the soil at the magic ‘field capacity’ which is the optimum point, not too dry and not too wet, for promoting healthy plant growth.
Research
To prove its effectiveness beyond doubt, Tanker was the subject of a special research project by University of Reading’s Horticultural Technology unit, the findings of which are summarised below. To our knowledge it is the only ‘self watering system’ that has been tested in this way and the results speak for themselves.
Being familiar with Livingreen Design, its great planter range, and the existence of Tanker irrigation, it was Livingreen that Sam Proctor, owner of Chiltern Garden Design, contacted about her idea for a Water Saving Garden at Chelsea 2024.
“The particular inspiration for my show garden at RHS Chelsea this year was the extremely hot and dry summer of 2022. With temperatures hitting record highs, followed by drought and hosepipe bans: the effects and implications of climate change have really started to hit home.” she said.
“In 2022, as I started to collect washing-up and shower water – 'grey water' - in buckets and bowls so I could water my most precious plants growing in pots and containers, I realised it is an issue that needs to be taken extremely seriously. This Chelsea garden is my way of inspiring and showing people how to manage their use of water in their gardens more effectively, and in particular, how to save and re-use rainwater, which is a cause championed by garden sponsor Affinity Water's 'Save Our Streams' campaign.”
To this end, Sam designed a containerised garden, such as would be suitable for a terrace or balcony, using bespoke planters manufactured in a beautiful shade of blue by Livingreen Design. The planters were all interconnected using the Tanker network system with both Modular and Cylinder network tanks, positioned strategically under the root balls of the plants within.
There was a water feature in the middle of one side showing that you can and should use harvested water within the landscape and not just hide excess away in tanks or underground. This small pond was an integral part of the whole system, fed by two Livingreen Water butts (described on the BBC’s coverage as “Chelsea’s sexiest butts”!), harvesting rainwater via beautiful copper rain chains from the gutters of the house.
It really is a win-win situation, the Tanker system, combined with the water butts, uses 30% less water than top watering would, while it keeps soil moisture at the optimum, promoting healthier plant growth with more flowers as a result.
For the householder, one benefit is particularly appealing: no hand watering is required as the entire system in this case has been automated with the addition of moisture sensors that only release water into the Tanker reservoirs when soil moisture falls below a pre-determined point. The result is a beautiful, water conservation garden that begs to be enjoyed, as Carol Kirkwood discovered when she joined Livingreen Design Director, Karen Sawyer, on the garden for a well-deserved champagne break!
In summary, planters containing Tanker systems will save you half your costs of watering while providing a more attractive, healthier plant with a much stronger and better developed root system.
Tanker irrigation is available to buy for all your pots and planters, indoor or exterior, and is suitable for use with any soil or compost that has a reasonable capillary action - so pretty well anything other than heavy clay. Click here to learn more.
Livingreen Design manufactures a huge range of fibreglass planters and furniture, right here in its Edinburgh workshops, and is particularly prized by landscapes and designers for their ability to produce almost any bespoke size or design. Get in touch if you need professional grade planters that will last a lifetime.
