About

Wendy Allen is an experienced award-winning UK garden designer and consultant who specialises in designing and building creative, biodiverse SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems), including rain gardens.

In addition to her work as a garden consultant, Wendy regularly designs rainscape schemes for UK Rivers Trust ‘Action for the River Kennet’ (ARK) where she leads teams of volunteers within communities and schools to build the projects, which all have a positive benefit for people, rivers and biodiversity. The rain gardens frequently include educational elements and natural play.

Wendy shares inspiration, ideas and techniques in talks, lectures and workshops for various institutions, businesses and groups, including the Society of Garden Designers Sustainability CPD programme in 2022. As part of @RainGardenUK, she delivers online and practical DIY rain garden training courses with Charlotte Hitchmough (Director, ARK) to enable anyone to create their own DIY rain garden or rain planters.

Wendy’s recent designs have recently featured in the Garden Design Journal, Gardeners’ World magazine, the Financial Times and in the GLA SuDS Sector Guidance for Schools, ‘Reimagining Rainwater’. Some have achieved a Britain in Bloom award and been shortlisted for the Wiltshire Life Magazine Conservation Award as well as featuring in local press, TV and Radio. Her garden ‘The Rain Chain’ won both a Gold medal and the ‘Best Sustainable Garden’ award at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2009, and features in the ‘UK Rain Gardens Guide’ and on the RHS website.

Her own garden in Wiltshire is designed to absorb all the rainwater that falls within the perimeter of the property (including the house roof) using water butts, rain garden, permeable surfaces, wildflower areas and a wildlife pond (topped up by rainwater).

Qualifications

‘Designing with SuDS’ course run by CIRIA
HND with Distinction in Garden Design at Hadlow College, Kent
Diploma in Plants and Planting Design from Capel Manor College London.

Talks and Workshops

Wendy Allen is an experienced public speaker and is available to deliver talks, lectures, workshops or CPD can be online or offline and tailored to cover any aspect of rain gardens, rainscapes, permeable surfaces, biodiversity in gardens, gardens for climate change, show gardens, and innovative SuDS in schools/domestic gardens.

See the Events page or get in touch for more details.

See also @RainGardenUK for DIY rain garden training.