Home Balcony gardens and container gardening Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – sustainability is key

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – sustainability is key

The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden. Designed by Harry Holding. Sponsored by RHS
The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden. Designed by Harry Holding. Sponsored by RHS

The world’s greatest horticultural show, May 21-25

The Show and Sanctuary Gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 have sustainability built in, with relocation plans for every garden. With more gardens expected to be added, you can be sure of finding inspiration for your home plot. Compare this year’s gardens to those exhibited at last year’s show.

Top Show Garden awards

  • RHS Children’s Choice Award: The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust. Designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team.
  • RHS Environmental Innovation Award: Giulio Giorgi and Landesigns. World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden.
  • Best Show Garden: Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden, designed by Ula Maria.
  • Best Construction Award (Show Garden): Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden, built by Yoreland Design Ltd.
  • Best Sanctuary Garden: Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden, designed by Helen Olney.
  • Best Construction Award (Sanctuary Garden): The Boodles Garden, built by Gadd Brothers Trees and Landscapes.
  • Best Balcony & Container Garden: The Ecotherapy Garden, designed by Tom Bannister.
  • Best All About Plants Garden: The Size of Wales Garden, designed by Dan Bristow.

Great Pavilion Awards

  • RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2024: Prunus Starlight.
  • RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2024: Origami Pot by POTR.
  • Floristry and Floral Design awards.
  • Great Pavilion Awards.
  • Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion: Leon Kluge Garden Design (Cape Flora of South Africa) – South African flora.
  • The President’s Choice Award: Pure Grenada – Diverse flora of Grenada.
  • New Design Award: Leon Kluge Garden Design (Cape Flora of South Africa).
  • Best Discovery Exhibit: Animal and Plant Health Agency – Asian Hornet – Stay Alert – Take Action – Protect Our Pollinators.
  • Best House Plant Studio: Plants By There – Verdant Visions.
  • RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year 2024: Lara Thorpe – Spectrum of Fire.

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – Feature Garden

The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden designed by Harry Holding

Built by Landscape Associates.

  • Inspiration: The RHS garden, designed by children, for children.
  • Design features: The garden centres on a natural den set within a pool of water. Children can scramble over boulders, and splash around in the stream. Art, sculpture, and textural clay celebrates child-like creativity innate in all of us.
  • Key plants: Lush woodland, bountiful meadows and a wetland with heightened colour, sensory planting and oversized bog plants.
  • Permanent home: Sulivans Primary School, Fulham.

Show Gardens

The much-loved big gardens and the stars of the Chelsea Flower Show 2024.

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

St James'’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different. Designed by Robert Myers. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of St James’'s Piccadilly
St James’’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different. Designed by Robert Myers. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of St James’’s Piccadilly

St James’s Piccadilly. Imagine the World to be Different designed by Robert Myers

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / St James’s Piccadilly. Contractor: Stewart Landscape Construction.

  • Inspiration: The garden celebrates the significance of urban ‘pocket parks’, often connected with historic churchyards, some bearing the scars of wartime bombing.
  • Design features: An archway leads to a contemplative haven. Nature takes centre stage with climate-resilient trees, offering a place of restoration. A circular, sculptural stone counselling hut sits among the foliage.
  • Key plants: The ‘borrowed’ plane trees of the show garden are reminiscent of the trees in today’s church garden. Pioneer plants that found a foothold in the ruins of St James’s after wartime bombings are key. Seven species feature in the garden.
  • Permanent home: St James’s Piccadilly.
Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden. Designed by Ula Maria. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Muscular Dystrophy UK
Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden. Designed by Ula Maria. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Muscular Dystrophy UK

Muscular Dystrophy UK: Forest Bathing Garden designed by Ula Maria

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / Muscular Dystrophy UK. Contractor: Crocus.

  • Inspiration: A place of solace and reflection for those affected by muscular dystrophy, a muscle-wasting condition, offering an immersive, yet accessible garden.
  • Design features: Inspired by the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (bathing in the forest atmosphere). A large random-knapped flint wall, reminiscent of muscle cells, serves as a tool for explaining what muscular dystrophy is. A central hub with sculptural flint walls, provides a sheltered space to meet.
  • Key plants: Inspired by a birch grove, with more than 40 trees creating a forest-like atmosphere. The birches are under-planted with woodland edge plants, chosen for their foliage, creating a green tapestry, with occasional bursts of colour.
  • Permanent home: The Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine in Oxford.
The National Garden Scheme Garden. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of National Garden Scheme.
The National Garden Scheme Garden. Designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of National Garden Scheme.

The National Garden Scheme Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith

 Sponsor: Project Giving Back / The National Garden Scheme. Contractor: Crocus.

  • Inspiration: The sharing ethos of nearly 100 years of the National Garden Scheme, woodland and therapeutic gardens.
  • Design features: The garden centres on a carbon sink timber hut of UK-grown cleft oak where visitors and garden volunteers can meet. A native hedge around the garden offers a refuge to visitors.
  • Key plants: An ‘edge of woodland’ theme surrounds an open hazel coppice with drought-tolerant woodland plants suited to SE England. National Garden Scheme garden owners have contributed a portion of the plants.
  • Permanent home: Maggie’s Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
The WaterAid Garden. Designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of WaterAid
The WaterAid Garden. Designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of WaterAid

WaterAid Garden designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / WaterAid. Contractor: Landscape Associates.

  • Inspiration: Exploring the challenges presented by a changing climate, focusing on sustainable water management.
  • Design features: The garden uses reclaimed and repurposed materials for a lighter carbon footprint. A rainwater-harvesting pavilion stores every drop of rainfall, filtering and storing it for drinking and irrigation.
  • Key plants: A colourful array of species, including Alnus glutinosa Pyramidalis.
  • Permanent home: TBC.

SILVER-GILT MEDAL WINNERS

The National Autistic Society Garden. Designed by Sophie Parmenter and Dido Milne. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of National Autistic Society
The National Autistic Society Garden. Designed by Sophie Parmenter and Dido Milne. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of National Autistic Society

The National Autistic Society Garden designed by Sophie Parmenter & Dido Milne

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / The National Autistic Society. Contractor: Landform Consultants.

  • Inspiration: Capturing an autistic person’s everyday experience of the world.
  • Design features: Walls of cork create spaces dedicated to different types of social interaction. It highlights ‘masking’ – a draining process involving consciously or unconsciously hiding autistic characteristics to fit in. The cork ‘masks’ encircle a central sanctuary with a kinetic sculpture. An ecological ethos showcases the circularity of regenerative systems.
  • Key plants: A multi-layered scheme includes wetland meadow and river birch woodland. A vibrant colour palette at its boundary soothes to softer hues at its heart. Textured curling bark sits alongside large crusted blocks of expanded cork.
  • Permanent home: A National Autistic Society-supported living site at Catrine Bank, Scotland.
Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden. By Matthew Childs. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Terrence Higgins Trust. Show Garden
Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden. By Matthew Childs. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Terrence Higgins Trust. Show Garden

Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden designed by Matthew Childs

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / The Terrence Higgins Trust. Contractor: Yoreland Design Ltd.

  • Inspiration: The AIDS: Monolith advert and the landscape of North Wales.
  • Design features: The entrance is reminiscent of the flooded base of a rejuvenated quarry landscape. The water level rises and falls, revealing a monolith slate stepping stone creating a bridge to the 2030 vision of no new HIV cases. The tombstone is now a crossing, leading to a secluded terrace. A crevice garden takes inspiration from natural areas where plants grow in gaps between rocks. This ornamental space transitions to a more natural look towards the rear. Granite boulders are scattered throughout the garden, inspired by the slate landscapes of North Wales.
  • Key plants: Inspired by the re-colonisation of plants in the redundant slate mines of North Wales.
  • Permanent home: TBC.
The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust. Designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team. Sponsored by Blue Diamond Garden Centres and The National Trust
The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust. Designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team. Sponsored by Blue Diamond Garden Centres and The National Trust

The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team

Sponsor: Blue Diamond / National Trust. Contractor: The Landscaping Consultants.

  • Inspiration: In honour of pioneering social reformer Octavia Hill (1838–1912), a founder of the National Trust, who believed that ‘the healthy gift of air and the joy of plants and flowers’ were vital in everyone’s life. Located on an urban brownfield site, this urban community wildlife garden is designed to stimulate physical, mental, and social well-being.
  • Design features: A series of open-air sitting rooms combine with sloping level changes with wheelchair-accessible paths. A planted shade canopy, observation platform, wildlife pond and walking stream provide opportunities to enjoy the wildlife. A hand-carved oak retaining wall with habitat panels provide homes for creatures.
  • Key plants: Digiplexus and Bouteloua plus edible species as food sources for wildlife and foraging.
  • Permanent home: Blue Diamond-owned, RHS Partner Garden, Bridgemere Show Gardens, Nantwich, Cheshire.
Stroke Association’'s Garden for Recovery. Designed by Miria Harris. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Stroke Association
Stroke Association’’s Garden for Recovery. Designed by Miria Harris. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Stroke Association

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER

Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery designed by Miria Harris

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / Stroke Association. Contractor: Landform Consultants Limited.

  • Inspiration: Designer Miria Harris, a stroke survivor, tells her story and those of other survivors. The garden is a peaceful, sensory space for recovery.
  • Design features: Trees frame views of interconnected pathways, acknowledging the difficult road to recovery. Natural-built walls incorporate spaces to rest and be with loved ones. A wildlife pond, stream, a bridge and undulating, accessible paths with resting places invite respite from the world of hospitals.
  • Key plants: Complementary colour block planting in pink, orange, yellow, purple and green. Wildlife-friendly and native perennials including Salvia greggii spp., Lunaria annua and Ranunculus flammula. Pinus sylvestris and P. mugo trees symbolise resilience.
  • Permanent home: The Stroke Unit at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds.

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – Sanctuary Gardens

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

World Child Cancers Nurturing Garden. Designed by Giulio Giorgi. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of World Child Cancer UK
World Child Cancers Nurturing Garden. Designed by Giulio Giorgi. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of World Child Cancer UK

World Child Cancer’s Nurturing Garden designed by Giulio Giorgi

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / World Child Cancer UK. Contractor: Landesigns Ltd.

  • Inspiration: Designed as a sensory haven, this garden is for children undergoing cancer treatment.
  • Design features: Circular raised beds, made from perforated clay blocks, offer diverse sensory experiences. The reclaimed brick path leads to a scenic meadow surrounded by tall trees, perennials, annuals, and shrubs. At its heart lies a restful seating area.
  • Key plants: Soft-touch plants, herbs, vibrant mosses and edible plants.
  • Permanent home: CLIC House, near Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden. Designed by Helen Olney. Sponsored by Burma Skincare Initiative, Sanofi, British Dermatological Nursing Group, No.7 Beauty Company and Almirall
Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden. Designed by Helen Olney. Sponsored by Burma Skincare Initiative, Sanofi, British Dermatological Nursing Group, No.7 Beauty Company and Almirall

Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden designed by Helen Olney

Sponsor: Burma Skincare Initiative / Sanofi / British Dermatological Nursing Group / The No. 7 Beauty Company. Contractor: Conquest Creative Spaces.

  • Inspiration: A global dermatological partnership which supports Burmese healthcare workers treating those with skin conditions.
  • Design features: The challenging environment of Burma (Myanmar) is symbolised by the part-ruined, overgrown stupa. A traditional stilt house made from recycled timber sits above a pool and waterfall. A dry-stone bench is inspired by the Burmese word Lar, meaning ‘coming together’.
  • Key plants: Textures such as bark, plants, moss and lichen are illustrative of skin diseases. Naturalistic planting combines contrasting textures and constrained colours, with edible and ornamental varieties. Broadleaf plantain highlights its use in traditional Burmese medicine to treat skin conditions. All plants are native to Myanmar and grow in the UK.

SILVER-GILT MEDAL WINNERS

The Boodles National Gallery Garden. Designed by Catherine McDonald. Sponsored by Boodles
The Boodles National Gallery Garden. Designed by Catherine McDonald. Sponsored by Boodles

The Boodles Garden designed by Catherine MacDonald

Sponsor: Boodles. Contractor: Gadd Brothers Trees & Landscapes.

  • Inspiration: A celebration of the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery.
  • Design features: With a theme of ‘art in nature’ the planting scheme, topiary, sculptural metal arches and water features are inspired or represent aspects of specific paintings and art movements, including Pointillism and Impressionism. A green-toned walkway with sculptural arches echo Canaletto, Claude, Klimt and Menzel. Metal water features are reminiscent of Renoir, Monet and Seurat. 
  • Key plants: The palette is predominantly green, used as a foil for the warm shades representing the artist’s brushstrokes and texture.
  • Permanent home: Part of the garden is to be sited in front of the gallery, near the Getty Entrance, facing Trafalgar Square (subject to planning consent).
MOROTO no IE. Designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara. Sponsored by Mihara-Teien, HB-101 and G-lion
MOROTO no IE. Designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara. Sponsored by Mihara-Teien, HB-101 and G-lion

MOROTO no IE designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara

Sponsor: G-Lion Group.

  • Inspiration: Acers and a waterfall blend the beauty of the natural world with the practicalities of family life.
  • Design features: The garden is divided by a central waterfall, tumbling into a pool. Wall greening on the building camouflage the structure. Stairs to the main building sweep around the water feature to a driveway. Hard landscaping is softened by moss-covered stone.
  • Key plants: Typical Japanese plants – Acer, pine, Farfugium japonicum, iris and mosses.
Killik & Co: Money Doesn't Grow On Trees Garden. Designed by Baz Grainger. Sponsored by Killik & Co
Killik & Co: Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees Garden. Designed by Baz Grainger. Sponsored by Killik & Co

Killik & Co: ‘Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees’ Garden designed by Baz Grainger

Sponsored by Killik & Co Allgreen, built by Landform Consultants

  • Inspiration: An immersive haven in which to relax and unwind for families.
  • Design features: A path of limestone and oak pavers winds through the garden, leading to a central water well fed by an aqueduct running along the top of a limestone and steel pergola that shelters a dining area.  Two reclining seats encourage relaxed conversation. 
  • Key plants: Oak planters are filled with scented flowers and foliage. The calming colour palette has soft whites, pale lemons, lavender and purple.
  • Permanent home: Smaller plants are being rehoused at houses of Killik & Co. The trees are being returned to Landform HQ for a new project. The hard landscaping materials are being used in a school project.

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden. Designed by Naomi Slade and Dr Ed Barsley. Sponsored by FloodRe
Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden. Designed by Naomi Slade and Dr Ed Barsley. Sponsored by FloodRe

Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden​ designed by Naomi Slade & Ed Barsley

Sponsor: Flood Re.

  • Inspiration: A relatable and beautiful space which helps reduce flood risk and recovery after heavy rainfall.
  • Design features: Dense planting slows water flow. Water is captured and stored for later use. An elevated deck and mound, linked by a bridge, provide habitable places for people, and well-drained soil for plants. A swale forms a stream, channelling rainwater into a pond. Tanks double as ornamental ponds and can be discharged ahead of further rain, using smart technology.
  • Key plants: Green, lush planting has, pops of jewel colours, appropriate for many soil conditions. An apple tree demonstrates the value of slopes for drainage. Pond and bog plants live in various water depths.
The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors. Designed by John Warland and Emma O’Connell. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Freedom from Torture
The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors. Designed by John Warland and Emma O’Connell. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Freedom from Torture

 The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors designed by John Warland & Emma O’Connell

Sponsor: Project Giving Back / Freedom from Torture. Contractor: Living Landscapes.

  • Inspiration: A place of sanctuary, peace and hope where horticultural therapy calms, heals and restores survivors of torture.
  • Design features: A curvaceous and immersive space, for one-to-one or group therapy. The communal bread oven brings survivors together to build new friendships. Sculptural streams of willow divide the space. The raised Sky Nest is a place of sanctuary. A sinuous water rill offers irrigation and relaxation.
  • Key plants: Naturalistic planting and edible produce.
  • Permanent home: Freedom From Torture HQ: Finsbury Park, London.
The Bridgerton Garden. Designed by Holly Johnston. Sponsored by Netflix
The Bridgerton Garden. Designed by Holly Johnston. Sponsored by Netflix

The Bridgerton Garden, designed by Holly Johnston

Built by Stewart Landscape Construction, sponsored by Netflix.

  • Inspiration: A secretive and secluded space, based on Penelope Featherington, a wallflower-like character from the upcoming series of Bridgerton.
  • Design features: The initial focus is a moongate which leads to an ornate water feature and sunken seating area. A curving path culminates at the back of the garden where an inscribed sculptural monolith symbolises change. The return journey guides past an armillary sphere.
  • Key plants: A shaded space down one half alludes to mystery, turmoil and defiance; groundcover, ferns and ivy represent a woven network of secrets. In contrast, the other half graduates to a brighter palette of sophisticated colours. A ring of field elms, Ulmus minor var. suberosa, offers enclosure around the seating area, while clipped spirals mix formality with whimsical planting.

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – Balcony and Container Gardens

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

The Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden. Designed by Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews. Sponsored by Addleshaw Goddard
The Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden. Designed by Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews. Sponsored by Addleshaw Goddard

The Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden designed by Mike McMahon & Jewlsy Mathews

Built by Mike McMahon Studio, sponsored by Addleshaw Goddard

  • Inspiration:  A serene sanctuary, shielding residents from the city’s relentless commotion. A seating area is enveloped by cascading flora.
  • Design features: A striking folded back wall, crafted from recycled paper, brings depth to the space, and the unfurling paper chairs are inspired by the unfurling of young fern. The garden promotes biodiversity with bird nests, integrated bat boxes and a small pond. 
  • Key plants: The hardy tropical planting mirrors the structural layers of the jungle: the emergent (towering plants), canopy, understorey and forest floor.
  • Permanent home: The oval-shaped decking will be transformed into dining and coffee tables.
Sanctum. Designed by Sonja Kalkschmidt
Sanctum. Designed by Sonja Kalkschmidt

Sanctum designed by Sonja Kalkschmidt

Contractor: Rupert Crowton Rowarth.

  • Inspiration: An oasis amid the chaos of contemporary life.
  • Design features: Black charred wood pod at its centre.
  • Key plants: Green foliage and various textures, with subdued hints of colour in shaded city environments.
The Ecotherapy Garden. Designed by Tom Bannister
The Ecotherapy Garden. Designed by Tom Bannister

The Ecotherapy Garden designed by Tom Bannister

Contractor: Wright Landscapes.

  • Inspiration: The space aims to rejuvenate physical and mental well-being.
  • Design features: Antique waterspouts emerge through the green wall, feeding a series of pools. A rill passes through the planting leading into a final cascade. After a cold plunge, a bench offers a place for contemplation. The handmade hyper-tufa containers have a weathered texture.
  • Key plants: Imagined as a small London courtyard, a Thames-yellow brick wall supports a hanging green garden.
  • Permanent home: After the show, the garden will be donated to a primary school where the designer is in the process of designing a peace garden.
mgr Changing Tides Garden. Designed by Lucy Mitchell. Sponsored by mgr
mgr Changing Tides Garden. Designed by Lucy Mitchell. Sponsored by mgr

mgr Changing Tides Garden designed by Lucy Mitchel

Sponsor: mgr. Contractor: Big Fish Landscape.

  • Inspiration: Coastal community garden.
  • Design features: Clusters of Kent ragstone boulders, hand-sculpted into planters. The boundary evokes the aesthetic of a coastal groyne, made from reclaimed weathered timber and rusty steel.
  • Key plants: Resilient plants found along the shoreline above the water, of the UK’s vegetated shingle beaches.

SILVER-GILT MEDAL WINNERS

Tomie’'s Cuisine the Nobonsai. Designed by Tsuyako Asada. Sponsored by Tomie’s Cuisine, Takehiro Niwaki and Alice Gar Design
Tomie’’s Cuisine the Nobonsai. Designed by Tsuyako Asada. Sponsored by Tomie’s Cuisine, Takehiro Niwaki and Alice Gar Design

Tomie’s Cuisine the Nobonsai designed by Tsuyako Asada

Sponsored by Tomie’s Cuisine, Takehiro Niwaki, Alice Garden Design

  • Inspiration: Tomie’s Cuisine the Nobonsai supports living together with creatures, including fungi and microorganisms.
  • Design features: A no-waste, plastic-free balcony garden containing lifestyle tips and sustainable gardening methods.
  • Key plants: Plants surround the space, softly blocking the line of sight from the outside for privacy. The planting is harmonious, creating an aesthetic closer to nature than a container garden.
  • Permanent home: The garden will go to the sponsor’s private garden, Tomie’s Cuisine garden.
The Anywhere Courtyard. Designed by Elisabeth Wright-McCalla
The Anywhere Courtyard. Designed by Elisabeth Wright-McCalla

The Anywhere Courtyard Garden designed by Elisabeth Wright-McCalla

Contractor: Big Fish Landscapers.

  • Inspiration: An unloved space transformed into a vibrant, calming and restorative place.
  • Design features: A central water feature surrounded by a living wall and tiled courtyard.
  • Key plants: Trees form a natural canopy of gentle shade with a sensory mix of herbal and perennial plants and an evergreen structure.
Children With Cancer UK ‘Raines Repurposed’. Designed by Thomas Clarke
Children With Cancer UK ‘Raines Repurposed’. Designed by Thomas Clarke

Children with Cancer UK Raines Repurposed designed by Thomas Clarke

  • Inspiration: A shaded seating area provides a place to relax and reflect.
  • Design features: Materials found on the site of old farm buildings and felled trees, including the seating and the handmade floor tiles.
  • Key plants: Soft evergreen planting, with muted pinks and burgundies, lies beneath a multi-stem Taxus baccata.
  • Permanent home: Many features are made using repurposed items.

SILVER MEDAL WINNER

La Mia Venezia. Designed by Michela Trinca
La Mia Venezia. Designed by Michela Trinca

La Mia Venezia designed by Michela Trinca

Built by Kate Gould Gardens.

  • Inspiration: A nostalgic homage to Venice, overlooking an imagined Italian client’s main garden and to farther canal views.
  • Design features: The pergola creates an enveloped outdoor room, where lighting, water and plants capture the imagination.
  • Key plants: The overhanging plants highlight how a balcony can have a unique microclimate and more unusual plants may thrive.
  • Permanent home: The planters, shutters and wall shelf are reclaimed. Various elements will be relocated to other gardens and the planters are borrowed.

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER

The Water-Saving Garden supported by Affinity Water. Designed by Sam Proctor. Sponsored by Affinity Water
The Water-Saving Garden supported by Affinity Water. Designed by Sam Proctor. Sponsored by Affinity Water

The Water Saving Garden, sponsored by Affinity Water designed by Sam Proctor

Sponsor: Affinity Water. Contractor: Castle Landscapes.

  • Inspiration: Contemporary courtyard space with water-saving measures inspired by the Chilterns’ iconic chalk streams, championed by Affinity Water’s Save Our Streams campaign.
  • Design features: Running water, timber walkways, fibreglass planters, bamboo decking, rain or grey-water harvesting, storage and re-use systems.
  • Key plants: Lush, restful planting.
  • Permanent home: Affinity Water is running a competition amongst its customers, with one customer winning the complete garden.
The Discover More Garden. Designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes. Sponsored by Viking
The Discover More Garden. Designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes. Sponsored by Viking

NO MEDAL AWARDED

The Discover More Garden sponsored by Viking designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes.

Sponsor: Viking. Contractor: Joe Irving Landscaper.

  • Inspiration: This contemporary balcony garden has taken inspiration from destinations around the world.
  • Design features: A limed soft wood pergola, inspired by the wooden structures of the Wintergarden – a space which can be found on all Viking’s ocean ships.
  • Key plants: A specimen Cornus mas tree.

All About Plants

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden. Designed by Chris Hull and Sid Hill. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Bowel Research UK
Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden. Designed by Chris Hull and Sid Hill. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Bowel Research UK

Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden designed by Chris Hull & Sid Hill

Built by Atlantes Landscapes, sponsored by Project Giving Back and Bowel Research UK.

  • Inspiration: The garden focuses on health, for people, plants and all life, taking inspiration from human cultures that have tended thriving ecosystems for their nourishment.
  • Design features: A serpentine charred-oak sculptural wall meanders through the garden and around ‘The Hive’, a simple yet sustainable, hexagonal shelter. Traditional log hives emerge from the woodland edge planting.
  • Key plants: Edible planting offers a probiotic feast that nourishes the human microbiome, helping safeguard against a myriad of bowel-related ailments. Rich floral planting provides habitats for pollinators.
  • Permanent home: Apricot Centre in Totnes, Devon.
Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden. Designed by Katherine Holland. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Sue Ryder
Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden. Designed by Katherine Holland. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Sue Ryder

Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden designed by Katherine Holland

Built by Greenscape Gardens Ltd, sponsored by Project Giving Back and Sue Ryder.

  • Inspiration: A safe and peaceful sanctuary, whilst sharing experiences of grief, or having a moment of quiet reflection.
  • Design features: The space will accommodate the varying mobility needs of users. The sight lines of the garden, as seen from a bed or a chair, are considered in the design.
  • Key plants: Sensory plants inspired by Bedford lace, including Heptacodium miconioides, Frangula alnus Aspleniifolia and a multi-stemmed form of Tilia henryana.
  • Permanent home: Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford.
The Size of Wales Garden. Designed by Dan Bristow. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Size of Wales
The Size of Wales Garden. Designed by Dan Bristow. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Size of Wales

The Size of Wales Garden designed by Dan Bristow

Built by Mark Wallinger, sponsored by Project Giving Back and Size Of Wales.

  • Inspiration: The Size of Wales Garden is inspired by tropical forests, and the work that Size of Wales are doing to prevent its destruction.
  • Design features: A couple of small roofs nestle at the top of gangly posts, calling to mind the precariousness of our current existence. A fungus fence gives a platform to the mostly hidden kingdom of fungi, so vital to the health of every forest in the world.
  • Key plants: 313 plant species are used, reflecting the number of tree species that can occur in one hectare of tropical forest. Columnar trees soar skywards, and alpine miniatures mound among the rocks, sprinkled with yellow flowers – the colour of hope.
  • Permanent home: Treborth Botanic Garden, North Wales.

SILVER-GILT MEDAL WINNERS

The Panathlon Joy Garden. Designed by Penelope Walker. Sponsored by Project Giving Back
The Panathlon Joy Garden. Designed by Penelope Walker. Sponsored by Project Giving Back

The Panathlon Joy Garden

  • Inspiration: Colour, curves and the layout create a harmonious, balanced space. 
  • Design features: Conceptual depictions, such as curved tree stems, symbolise Panathlon’s objective to normalise difference. The design includes a fun and playful seating area with a distinct space for a wheelchair. Steam-softened timber panels flow across the rear length of the garden.
  • Key plants: Uplifting and colourful planting.
  • Permanent home: Marjorie McClure School in Bromley, South London.
The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden. Designed by Will Dutch and Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Pulp Friction CiC
The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden. Designed by Will Dutch and Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. In support of Pulp Friction CiC

The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden, designed by Will Dutch & Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen

Built by Big Fish Landscapes, sponsored by Project Giving Back and Pulp Friction CIC.

  • Inspiration: A place where Pulp Friction Members, their families and the community can come together in an inclusive setting that will challenge people’s perceptions of what people with learning disabilities and autism can achieve.
  • Design features: A large overhead hoop, constructed from recycled fire hoses, donated by one of Pulp Friction’s key partners: Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, encircles the central space.
  • Key plants: Designed around the concept of a forest garden, inspired by the largest remnant of Sherwood Forest. Vibrant edible planting, either edible, medicinal or beneficial to wildlife.
  • Permanent home: Stockhill Fire Station in Nottingham.

BRONZE MEDAL WINNER

Planet Good Earth. Designed by Betongpark and Urban Organic. Sponsored Project Giving Back. In support of Planet Good Earth
Planet Good Earth. Designed by Betongpark and Urban Organic. Sponsored Project Giving Back. In support of Planet Good Earth

Planet Good Earth designed by Betongpark & Urban Organic

Built by Betongpark & Urban Organic, sponsored by Project Giving Back and Planet Good Earth CIC.

  • Inspiration: Users of an urban skate park.
  • Design features: A granite skate ramp forms the heart of the garden. Vertical hydroponic grow towers that efficiently recycle water, alongside mushroom logs.
  • Key plants: Native and exotic species, with culinary and medicinal herbs. Apple, plum and mulberry trees provide shelter and serve as educational tools for grafting techniques. The shrub and herb layers encompass fruits (including golden raspberries, honeyberries and alpine strawberries), edible flowers and foliage.
  • Permanent home: Hay Castle Trust in Hay-on-Wye.

House Plant Studios Awards

Gold medal winners

  • Gardening in Small Spaces by In the Garden.
  • Upcycled Botanical: Making Small Spaces Beautiful by Plant Warehouse.
  • Verdant Visions by Plants By There.
  • The Glasshouse Effect by The Glasshouse.

Silver-gilt medal winner

  • Hope after Humanity by The Plant Parlour and GrowTropicals.

Silver medal winners

  • Plants with Soul by The Little Botanical.
  • An Atlas of Houseplants by Botanic by Botanic York.

Show times for Chelsea Flower Show 2024

Address: London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3 4SR.

  • Tuesday-Wednesday – RHS Members’ Days: 8am – 8pm.
  • Thursday – Friday: 8am – 8pm.
  • Friday Chelsea Late event: 5.30pm – 10pm.
  • Saturday: 8am – 5.30pm (sell-off of displays begins at 4pm).

Tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show 2024 are available now, visit www2.theticketfactory.com.

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