A hi-tech garden that has the potential to transform how trees are monitored and cared for in the future will find a permanent home at Manchester’s Mayfield district following its debut this month at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The Avanade Intelligent Garden, designed by award-winning duo Tom Massey and Je Ahn, will become a part of a major extension to the already popular Mayfield Park.
Featuring Avanade’s pioneering AI technology to support the health and survival of urban trees, the garden’s relocation signals an ambition to explore how cutting-edge tech might enhance Mayfield Park’s horticultural management—potentially transforming how its trees are monitored and cared for, and offering a model for how cities could better support their green spaces.
One of the most visionary aspects of the concept is TreeTalk – an interactive AI tool that enables two-way communication between park staff and trees. The system allows questions like “How are you feeling?” or “What do you need?” to help guide horticultural decisions. Trees can even be configured to ‘alert’ gardeners if they’re under stress, enabling more responsive, proactive and preventative care.
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The project marks the next phase for Mayfield, whose award-winning park has been hailed as “the blueprint for the park of the future” by leading urban horticultural specialist, Nigel Dunnett.
While the RHS Chelsea Flower Show served as a test bed for the pioneering technology, its relocation to Mayfield opens up the possibility of applying these innovations in a living urban landscape. As the project evolves there are plans for Avanade’s AI assistant to operate across a network of sensors, gathering real-time data on tree growth, soil conditions, air quality and weather patterns. In turn, this would enable the AI to provide intuitive, responsive insights into each tree’s condition and offer recommendations to support its care.
Designer Massey said: “Urban trees are some of our most powerful allies in tackling climate change – cooling our cities, filtering air pollution, supporting biodiversity, and improving our wellbeing. But they’re under constant pressure, and too many don’t survive long enough to deliver their full value.”
“By bringing the Avanade Intelligent Garden to Mayfield, and expanding the technology we are piloting at RHS Chelsea across a living, much-used urban park, we hope to test this innovation in a real-world setting and gather valuable data over the longer term. By combining smart, responsive technology with human stewardship, our aim is to give trees the best possible chance—not just to survive, but to thrive for generations to come.”
Danny Williams, estates manager at Mayfield Park said: “Mayfield is proud to be at the forefront of innovation as the UK’s first AI-enabled urban park. This collaboration with Avanade marks an exciting step in the future of sustainable green space management, allowing us to harness cutting-edge technology to enhance biodiversity, improve resilience, and ensure Mayfield remains a thriving, beautiful space well into the future.
“The Avanade Intelligent Garden offers a pioneering model for how cities can better care for their green spaces—optimising resources, enhancing biodiversity, and shaping the future of urban nature. We are excited to welcome it to Mayfield.”
The Avanade Intelligent Garden will be the first part of a wider threshold development linking Mayfield Park to Manchester Piccadilly. It will be located next to the award-winning Mayfield Depot and the Star & Garter pub.
Annette Giardina, chief innovation & sustainability officer from Avanade UK, added: “Working on the Avanade Intelligent Garden has been a true passion project for our team. By combining our deep industry expertise and Microsoft’s leading AI technology, we’re proud to demonstrate how innovation can help custodians build more resilient, sustainable environments – and give urban trees a stronger future. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our solution find a permanent home at Mayfield Park, helping shape the park of the future and proving that when technology and nature collaborate, cities thrive.”
Mayfield Park is the first city-centre park built in Manchester for 100 years, and has transformed a previously derelict area of the city into a biodiverse 6.5-acre expanse of green and blue. The park was made possible by a public-private partnership between Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, LCR and developer Landsec, and is a visionary move to establish a high-quality landscape scheme that can respond to the climate crisis as well as creating a nature-rich haven for visitors, in a city where people can easily lose contact with the natural world.
Mayfield Park, Manchester image by Richard Bloom
