J oe Perkins has typically been more animated by what is going above the ground than below it. The quality of the soil was important, but what was going on down there was not clear. It meant one thing in a garden, and that wasn't good news.
The relationship and understanding of fungi in the past has been about decay, disease, and something else that we don't understand.
Perkins was reading research by the American mycologist and fungi guru Dr Paul Stamets and the British Biologist, Merlin Sheldrake. Perkins was commissioned by the tech giant Meta to make another garden that celebrates the symbiotic exchange between soil, fungi and plants.
He predicts that the relationship with fungi will change in an irreversible way. It is a separate kingdom to plants and animals, and it is the biggest kingdom we know very little about. It is almost like that when the Victorian plant hunters discovered all the new plants in the 18th and 19th century. Isn't it the new frontier?
A glossary might be useful at this point. Most of the activity in mushrooms is out of sight, so they are sometimes compared to icebergs. The vegetative part of the fungus twists through the soil to make connections between plants. More than 90% of plants depend on mycorrhizal fungi for improving their water and nutrient absorption, which has led to these networks being called the Wood Wide Web.
The theme of interconnectedness is what inspired Perkins to include a large timber pavilion, based on hexagonal structures that represent mycelium pathways, and two habitats: woodland edge and a meadow. There will be a vibrant colour scheme if you choose to look for them, but Perkins makes plenty of references to sustainable and climate change.
Perkins's new fascination with fungi and their mycorrhizal relationships with plants has made an impact on how he gardens on a practical level. The process of digging up through the surface layer pulls apart the mycelial connections. I would say don't do that. The soil should be left alone.
Perkins has other ideas for gardeners. There are some opportunities for that to happen if you leave some at the back of the borders.
The horticulturist's friend is Fungi. These organisms are finding new uses for themselves. Ehab Sayed, a 31 year old originally from Egypt, founded Biohm in 2016 in south London. The company looks to the natural world for inspiration and its team of 20 is currently experimenting with more than 300 different strains of mycelium in an effort to consume waste from food and building processes, even plastic. Mycelium insulation is a safer and non-toxic alternative to traditional plastic and petrochemical-based construction materials.
The grant from the sale of carrier bags was created to fund the work of Biohm, which uses mycelium to break down plastic. Sayed believes that the results will be available at scale in two years.
How little we know about fungi is what really excited Sayed and Perkins. It is thought that there could be anywhere between 2.2m and 3.8m species in the world, which is 10 times greater than the estimated number of plant species. We have barely scratched the surface of what we have to learn from the show.
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