Blooming Border Planting Ideas, RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026
After the Rain is more than a planting scheme – it’s a sculptural, immersive border. Designed by Tomas Olesen, the space is carefully composed to explore how water, structure, and planting can work together as one cohesive experience.
At the centre of the design stands a striking multi-stem river birch, its peeling bark echoing the warm tones of bronze sculptures by Yunus & Eliza. These pieces don’t just sit within the space – they actively collect and hold rainwater, adding movement, texture, and a sense of change over time.
A shallow channel, or swale, runs through the border, dividing it into wet and dry zones. This simple intervention drives the entire design: moisture-loving plants settle into the basin, while tougher, drought-tolerant species line the edges. The result is a landscape that feels natural yet highly intentional, where water management becomes a visible and celebrated feature.
The Importance of Sustainability in Show Gardens
Sustainability plays a crucial role in show gardens, where temporary installations have the potential to generate significant waste if not carefully considered. Designing with sustainability in mind ensures that these spaces are not only visually impactful but also responsible in how they use materials, manage resources, and plan for life beyond the event.
In After the Rain, sustainability is embedded at every stage of the project. Soil excavated from the swale is reused to create planting mounds, reducing both waste and the need for additional transport. The structure avoids concrete entirely, instead using reclaimed rock and soft engineering techniques that are less resource-intensive and easier to repurpose.
The swale itself is more than a design feature; it functions as a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), helping to slow water flow, improve natural filtration, and reduce runoff. Reclaimed materials, including reused rocks and membrane off cuts, further minimise the garden’s environmental impact.
Importantly, sustainability extends beyond the show itself. Rather than being dismantled and discarded, the garden is designed with a future in mind: plants are reused in other projects, and the sculptures return to the artists’ studio. This approach highlights how show gardens can move away from being short-lived displays and instead become part of a longer, more thoughtful lifecycle.
Design Inspiration and Purpose
The real skill lies in attempting to recreate something that nature has already perfected. It’s about attention to the smallest details, subtle traces like animal footprints, or arranging planting in a way that suggests natural germination and self-seeding over time.
This level of restraint and observation is what makes the design and execution of a show garden truly skilful: creating something that feels effortless and natural, while in reality being carefully considered and precisely composed.
The design for After the Rain began with a moment of observation during Tomas’s daily walks, a simple yet powerful scene of a tree standing in an open field, a small stream flowing beneath it, and wildflowers growing freely around it. This quiet composition reinforced the idea that meaningful inspiration often comes from small, easily overlooked details in the landscape, and from taking the time to truly observe the outdoors.
Planting for the Blooming Border
