WISLEY LOOKS TO SUSTAINABLE RAINWATER SOLUTION

RHS Garden Wisley has chosen Otterbine to provide its flagship garden with sustainable irrigation. 

The manufacturer's 25HP Polaris Giant Fountain was installed at RHS Garden Wisley in Woking as part of the Royal Horticultural Society's project to create a new rainwater capture lake, providing great quality irrigation to one of the largest plant collections in the world. 

Wisley say in today’s climate, water can be a scarcity and harvesting rainwater supports the conservation of this vital resource. The water has to be good enough quality to use though which is where the fountain steps in. 

Matthew Pottage, curator of RHS Garden Wisley, explained, “The Giant fountain is installed in our new lake which is connected to our garden irrigation system. The lake collects winter rainwater for summer irrigation and the Otterbine aerating fountain makes the water good enough to use.” 

The geyser-like spray of the Polaris throws water droplets into the air where they attach to oxygen molecules that can then be absorbed into the lakewater. 

Matthew, who oversaw the aesthetic of the new landscape and horticulture around the lake, explains there were additional reasons for choosing the fountain. “The Wisley is one of the UK’s most visited and best-loved gardens, attracting around a million visitors each year and we wanted to use the opportunity to create a new atmosphere and beautiful place for visitors to enjoy and relax at Wisley. 

“The lake is designed in an ornamental fashion and the fountain’s visual beauty and the fact that it muffles noise disruption from a nearby road helps bring a sense of theatre and peace to the space,” says Matthew.

Installing the new rainwater capture lake is not the only change to the grounds that RHS Wisley is undertaking. Matthew says, “We are planning a massive new landscape of grasses and perennials with Piet Oudolf, a world-renowned planting designer.”