©The British Library Board
It has been a sunny spring in London, the perfect time to explore the overlap between gardening and science in the Avanade Intelligent Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which closed on 24 May.
Each tree in this urban forest sported an arboreal “smartwatch”, which tracked its growth, lean angle and more. An AI dashboard monitored the trees, ready to flag any warning signs.
This is no gimmick: studies suggest perhaps the majority of urban trees die 15 years or less after planting. We know trees benefit air quality, wildlife and well-being, but many are stressed and poorly tended. Are smart tree monitors the answer? Take a look as the garden relocates to Manchester later this year.
Gardening technology isn’t new. At the British Library’s new Unearthed exhibition, I marvelled at a rare Wardian case (a mini-greenhouse used to ship plants to Victorian England) and at a 600-year-old predecessor of a watering can. Shown above is a 17th-century painting of a sunflower featured in the exhibition.
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