Chelsea Flower Show 2012: fad for wildflowers is ruining formal gardening, warns Professor of Horticulture He pointed out funding has also been cut for research into the science of new species of plants and creating new species. "Horticulture is in danger of going extinct," he said. If from now on every decision says you can only use native plants then there will be nothing but native plants in public landscapes which will be a disaster. Prof Hitchmough, who is designing the 'prairie meadows" at the Olympic park made up of a mixture of native flowers and species from around the world to ensure maximum colour, said non-native planting can be just as good for wildlife. He pointed out that insects will thrive on foreign plants and one of the most important things is to have 'diversity" so that nectar is available throughout the year. "There is 13,000 square kilometres of gardens in the UK, more than all the official nature reserves put together," he added. Gardens are our nature reserves. Prof Hitchclough urged gardeners not to impose an 'apartheid" between parts of the garden left wild and native and more horticultural areas planted with foreign species. Instead gardeners use foreign and native plants to encourage wildlife. He said research has shown wildlife thrives on imported species allowing native birds and animals further up the food chain to benefit. The assumption is that those spaces are better for wildlife, he said. But that is not always the case. The recent cold weather made this a particularly challenging year for gardeners at Chelsea, with designers forced to put plants under polytunnels or even use hair dryers to make them bloom in time. The rain also meant a muddy build and even as the press and celebrities arrived scaffolding was still coming down. But despite a gloomy start Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Michael Caine and Joan Collins were among the stars admiring the flowers. Unusual highlights this year include an 84ft tower garden designed by Diarmuid Gavin, complete with a slide, and a new category called 'Fresh Gardens" that includes video and 'smell installations." Along the more traditional Main Avenue the show gardens to watch were the Daily Telegraph Garden by Sarah Price, the Brewin Dolphin Garden by Cleve West, the Laurent Perrier Bicentenary Garden by Arne Maynard and the M&G Garden by Andy Sturgeon.