Southend-on-Sea City Council staff visit Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens, Colchester

Earlier this week, the Climate Change team joined the Head of Major Infrastructure and colleagues from the Parks team on a visit to study Beth Chatto’s Plants and Gardens in Colchester. They were also joined by external partners, including Anglian Water. The visit was planned to explore innovative and adaptive planting options for a range of SuDS features across the city. These included rain gardens, which can support the Catchment to Coast programme as well as other local initiatives.

The visit focused on how rain and gravel gardens, and other drought‑resilient planting schemes, can be used in urban spaces to manage water more sustainably. There is an increasing pressure on towns and cities to cope with higher rainfall as well as prolonged dry periods. This is why we must explore real‑world examples of planting strategies that reduce maintenance needs whilst improving resilience to the everchanging climate.

Beth Chatto’s renowned Gravel Garden is famous for thriving without irrigation. We observed how planting in gravel, sand, and free‑draining substrates can support drought-tolerant plant species and support an increase in biodiversity. We discussed how sustainable drainage examples can help slow, store, and filter water flowing through urban areas before it reaches the coast. For example, rain gardens and shallow basins alongside carefully selected plants and substrates.

Using what we learnt, this visit forms part of ongoing work to carry out nature‑based solutions across projects city-wide, supporting the environment whilst creating greener and more inviting public spaces for our residents.