The Chelsea Flower show kicks off tomorrow and is encouraging Londoners to welcome Ratty into their gardens. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kenneth Graeme’s The Wind In The Willows, the River and Rowing Museum will be setting up shop to tell London gardeners how to make their urban refuges water vole friendly.
Graeme’s classic follows the story of Ratty the water vole. The cute critters are now declining sharply in numbers. The Chelsea Flower Show will be the debut of the RRM’s Ratty’s Refuge, a 5x5m urban garden to set an example of how Londoners can help local wildlife. Ratty’s Refuge will be moved to the River and Rowing Museum after the Flower Show, and will track the progress of the water vole via their website.
Elsewhere in the flower show, keep an eye out for the living walls of Mark Gregory; if they’re looking especially lush, it’s because he supplemented their diet with a steady stream of Led Zepplin. Apparently Robert Plant is good for plants.
Photo copyright Andrew Parkinson courtesy of Kallaway Limited.
