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Spotted: For homeowners around the world who love gardening, a beautiful, well-manicured garden is a sign of pride. However, as climate change intensifies, it’s becoming harder for gardeners to look after their green spaces, with four in five UK garden enthusiasts noticing that hotter summers and more intense rainfall are impacting their plants and gardens. Could AI help?

In a bid to help support horticulture in a changing climate, Avanade – a global professional services company – has teamed up with Microsoft and landscape designer Tom Massey to create an intelligent AI-enabled garden.

The smart garden will appear at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 and is set to feature a curated selection of climate-resilient plants and trees, which will be monitored by an AI assistant. Using sensors that are placed throughout the garden, the AI technology serves as a co-pilot for gardeners, helping them optimise maintenance and plant care.

Interpreting data like soil moisture levels, pH, temperature, rainfall, and air quality, the AI will be able to answer questions like “How are you?” and “What do you need?” For instance, the AI garden will be able to respond and ask for more or less water, helping to avoid wasting resources. Visitors will also be able to test and interact with the technology using a digital twin.

The garden is also an opportunity for Avanade to showcase its experience of using AI to help tackle pressing environmental challenges. The company has already developed AI solutions to protect endangered species through species recognition programmes, create digital twins of environments to help monitor changing conditions, and ensure that renewable energy sources exist in harmony with nature.

Written By: Lisa Magloff and Matilda Cox