Each year more than 70 million people visit one of London’s eight Royal Parks. That’s a lot of people who could be stopped in their tracks by the colour, beauty and scent that horticulture provides.

However, according to Matthew Pottage, Head of Horticulture and Landscapes, many people are ‘plant blind’ and don’t recognise the environment around them. This is all set to change with the unveiling of four ambitious projects within the new Horticulture Vision 2026-2031 unveiled this week in St James’s Park.

“We can cater for so many tastes and appeal to wide range of people,” he said. “We are going to bring everyday wonder, that’s bold, plucky, unapologetic and impactful.”

Along with the need for the parks to be more climate reslilant, the vision will create iconic spectacles from planting of 100,000 camassia, 500 persica roses and luxurious exotics. Each of the eight parks will eventually have a maximum of seven, and a minimum of three spectacles enabling visitors to recognise parks by their horticultural identifiers. And for the first time, the Royal Parks will work alongside the RHS with a trial of agave in Hyde Park. It also plans to begin growing its own trees in air pots at a site at Bushy Park, an addition to its own nursery facility in Hyde Park.

Matthew added that climate change along with new pests and diseases have created a need for new sustatinable schemes, more plant diversity and experimentation, while respecting the heritage, history and conservation of the parks. “Fortunately, the fabric is wonderful but the planting within some of the designs in tired and struggling.” In contrast to traditional plants, visitors in the coming years can expect to see cacti, succulents and palms.

At Greenwich Park 130 ornamental cherries (Prunus ‘Sekiyama’) will mature to a naturalist valley of blossom each spring.

In The Green Park, around 100,000 camassia planted this autumn will enliven the park with a ‘river of blue’ – a nod to the River Tyburn which once flowed through it (see top picture).

The Italian Gardens in Kensington Gardens will again grow exotic species from around the world including lotus and Chilean wine palms.

Hyde Park’s Rose Garden will be reminagined with single flowerd Rosa persica cultivars which are more tolerant to warm, dry summers. Roses will be planted among 20,000 new plants and 100,000 bulbs.