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<\/p>\nHundreds of plants from an Australian garden displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show are being moved to Kensington Gardens to see if they can handle London’s climate.<\/p>\n
Experts will track how species from South and Western Australia cope with the city’s microclimate, in a joint research project by designer Max Parker-Smith and The Royal Parks.<\/p>\n
Horticultural apprentices are replanting them along the stretch from Buck Hill Lodge to Queen Anne’s Alcove.<\/p>\n
Russell Stevens, head gardener at Kensington Gardens, said: “We’ve got a microclimate here in central London that can cope with things that are a little bit on the edges of what you could normally plant in your gardens.”<\/p>\n
The garden, named Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth, was a “real showstopper” at Chelsea, according to Stevens.<\/p>\n
He added that Londoners could take inspiration from the garden, as many of the plants, including kangaroo paw, bottlebrush and paperbark, were likely to thrive locally.<\/p>\n
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Max Parker-Smith designed the garden [BBC]<\/p>\n
Max Parker-Smith, the designer of the original Chelsea garden, said the plants required plenty of sun, good airflow and free-draining conditions.<\/p>\n
He added: “By rehoming species from the vibrant kangaroo paw to ancient grass trees, we are sharing the wild, authentic nature of South Australia and Western Australia.”<\/p>\n
Richard Fitzpatrick, an apprentice gardener, explained that the team at Kensington Gardens was “trying to mimic the ground you have in Australia, with sandy, aggregate-rich soil, which helps with drainage and water retention for the plants”.<\/p>\n
Stevens added: “Kangaroo paws are not plants Londoners are used to seeing in their parks, and I think visitors will be fascinated to watch them establish and evolve through the seasons.<\/p>\n
“Kensington Gardens has a long history of bold, beautiful planting, and these Australian species will add something genuinely new to that story.”<\/p>\n
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds<\/a> and follow BBC London on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n More on this story