In what seems an appealing example of practical climate adaptation, flood insurance specialist Flood Re has unveiled a permanent flood resilient garden at Howbery Park in Oxfordshire — a living demonstration of how thoughtful outdoor design can mitigate flood risk while enhancing biodiversity and aesthetic appeal.
The permanent, free public access, flood resilient garden has been set up on a site owned by HR Wallingford, which helps develop resilient approaches to flooding. Flood Re says its mission is to promote the uptake of property flood resilience measures across the UK.
The garden builds on the silver-medal winning Flood Resilient Garden which debuted at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2024, a collaboration between Flood Re, environmental expert Dr Ed Barsley and garden designer Naomi Slade. It served as a practical blueprint for how outdoor spaces can help reduce flood risks while enhancing property aesthetics, demonstrating how an ordinary terrace house garden can incorporate resilient design.
The reimagined Flood Resilient Garden at Howbery Business Park, also designed by Dr Ed Barsley with additional landscaping and planting design by Belderbos Landscapes, shows how a combination of functionality and aesthetics in garden design can help address the urgent need for flood mitigation in the UK, where one in four homes faces the risk of flooding.
Sponsored by Flood Re, the joint initiative between the UK government and the insurance industry which exists to promote the affordability and availability of flood insurance for homes across the UK, the new permanent garden supports the ground-breaking Build Back Better scheme. Launched in 2022, Build Back Better enables qualifying policyholders to benefit from up to £10,000 towards the installation of flood resilience measures, the scheme now offered by over 70% of the UK household property insurance market.
Changes to outside space and gardens, along with internal changes such as the use of specialist plaster, raised electric sockets and tiled floors, not only make a huge difference in reducing the impact of, and potential for flood, but are a vital first line of defence, ensuring households can recover more swiftly from flooding and stand better protected against future incidents.
The new permanent garden shows how it is possible for outside space to respond and adapt to the challenges of heavy rain and surface water flooding by embracing the water as a feature and harnessing it for future use. The pond, for example, doubles as a sump to collect water and slowly allow it to drain away, whilst a smart rainwater tank allows remote drain-down ahead of predicted rainfall.
The garden also features a range of carefully curated wild flower meadow, edible and shade resilient plants alongside water lovers such as Baldellia ranunculoides, Caltha palustris, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Rodgersia and Juncus ensifolius.
Kelly Ostler-Coyle, Director of Corporate Affairs, Flood Re, commented:
“We’re thrilled that the flood resilient garden now has a permanent home, open and accessible to the wider public. Outdoor spaces like this are vital in providing a natural first line of defence against flooding. This garden demonstrates how thoughtful choices in plants and landscape design can offer both aesthetic value and tangible protection — helping to minimise physical damage and emotional strain when floods occur. If flood-resistant features and built-in water storage were adopted across communities, the collective benefit would be transformative.”
Andy Brown, Joint CEO, HR Wallingford, commented:
“We’re delighted that Flood Re chose our business park for the forever home for the flood resilient garden. It looks magnificent and I am sure will inspire everyone who visits, as well as providing a tranquil space for those that work here. We expect there to be more intense and more frequent rainfall in coming years, as an impact of climate change, but resilient gardens such as this one will help reduce the risk of flooding, lessening the impact on lives, the environment and infrastructure.
Dr Ed Barsley, The Environmental Design Studio commented:
“With this garden, we wanted to demonstrate that flood resilient design needn’t be a compromise, you can create spaces that are both beautiful and enriching, whatever the weather. The original garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was a magical, if fleeting, moment. In reimagining it for a permanent setting, we’ve worked hard to ensure it can endure and thrive for decades to come. I’m delighted it now has a lasting home, one that offers education, enhances biodiversity, helps manage flood risk, and offers a calm, reflective space for all who visit.”
