The Avanade Intelligent Garden

Authored by Devon Young, Avanade Experience Delivery Manager 

Last week marked a memorable moment in my career. As the Experience Delivery Manager for the Avanade Intelligent Garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, I had the opportunity to help shape a space that was both visually striking and quietly purposeful. While the garden offered a beautiful and engaging experience, its design carried a deeper intention.

We set out to highlight how innovation can support the growth and longevity of urban trees, so they can continue being vital contributors to climate resilience and more livable cities by providing benefits such as:

• Filtering pollutants to improve the quality of the air we breathe

• Cooling urban environments to reduce heat and make cities more comfortable

• Supporting biodiversity by creating essential habitats for wildlife

• Enhancing wellbeing by providing spaces for community connection

Despite their importance, urban trees are surprisingly vulnerable:

• 30% of urban trees die within their first year

• 50% don’t survive beyond a decade

• It takes 50 years for a tree to reach its ecological peak

• And on average, 16 years just to achieve carbon neutrality

This is where our project began – with a simple but pressing question: how can we give urban trees a better chance to thrive? The Avanade Intelligent Garden was designed as both a showcase and a solution, exploring how data and technology can help these trees survive and deliver on their full ecological potential.

Our brief was ambitious – create a way for trees to communicate their needs in real time. But how do you listen to something that can’t speak?

Enter Tree Talk, an AI-powered tool that gives trees a voice. By analyzing live environmental data, it helps gardeners and tree custodians understand and respond to their needs in the moment. We embedded the garden with sensors that monitor tree health, tracking:

• Tree growth

• Sap flow

• Soil moisture

• Air quality

• Microclimate patterns

This data is processed by AI models that identify trends, predict future conditions and translate complex information into actionable insights.

Keeping sustainability top of mind, we built the system using small language models – an energy-efficient alternative to their larger counterparts. These models offer a sustainable, effective way to support long-term tree health.

Our first couple of days debuting the Avanade Intelligent Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show received a response that was both humbling and energizing. We were honored to receive:

• Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

• Best Construction Award recognizing the innovative integration of technology within the garden

Beyond the show, the project has attracted attention from prestigious media outlets, highlighting its broader impact and starting the conversation around the intersection between nature and technology, including:

• The Times - Trees find their voice in AI-powered Chelsea garden

• FRANCE 24 - AI talking trees feature at Chelsea Flower Show

• The Telegraph - The Chelsea Flower Show garden that tells you when it needs watering

• Time Out Group plc - The world’s first AI-powered park is coming to the UK – with ‘talking trees’

Looking ahead, the Avanade Intelligent Garden is heading to its permanent location at Mayfield Park. Moving from a curated exhibition into a evolving experiment, the garden will continue to gather real-world data and refine its approach to supporting urban trees in their natural environment.

By embedding technology directly within the landscape, we hope to deepen our understanding of how smart solutions can help cities become greener, healthier and more resilient over time.

Learn more about the Avanade Intelligent Garden.

P.S. It took a team to grow this garden, and I’d be remiss not to give them their flowers. Thank you to everyone who made it possible 💐

Tom Massey, Je Ahn, Sebastian Cox, Annette Giardina, Martin Harper, Steve Smith, Peter Gallagher, Emma Everitt, Niki Postonogovas, Dave B. Ruth Rowan, Helen Woodfield, Tina Senior, Lise Platou af Ekenstam, Claire Booty, Julie M., Tabitha Nugent, Phillip Matthews, Paula Panarra, Betty Martinez, Alba López Gete 晨曦, Isabel Diéguez López, Natassja Bartle.