Horticulture

Right plant, right place: Georgian wildflowers for challenging conditions

March - July 2025

I’m currently undertaking an independent training and research project into Caucasian steppe and alpine plants as solutions for dry, windy, barren areas, such as urban rooftops and housing estates. I’m interested in specificity: why and how gardeners follow the motto ‘right plant, right place’ and what conditions in nature give rise to endemic species. 25% of Georgian plants are endemic. I propose a selection of Georgian steppe and alpine species, such as the rare and endemic Salvia garedji, for application in the UK.

It involves internships and visits to leading Northern European dry gardens and an expedition to steppe and alpine regions of Georgia to compare how plants grow in cultivation versus the wild. Soil scientist Eddie Bailey has kindly agreed to compare soil samples from Beth Chatto, Klinta and Georgia to deepen these observations with data.

• Internship at Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens (UK) to study the origins of ‘right plant, right place’

• Visit to the Colchester Meanwhile Garden (UK) to observe plant behaviour in a cultivated brownfield

• Visit to John Little’s Hilldrop (UK) to study the biodiversity benefits of sand planting in urban spaces

• Internship with Peter Korn at Klinta Trädgård and public projects (Sweden) to study steppe and alpine sand planting

• Expedition to observe plants in the David Gareja steppe and Upper Svaneti mountains (Georgia)

I’ll share my discoveries in a report to the project’s sponsors: The RHS, Merlin Trust, Hardy Plant Society and Scottish Rock Garden Club.