Trends from RHS Chelsea Flower Show
On May 23rd - 27th, the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show of the Royal Horticultural Society will take place.
In this year's event, the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London will host themes of restoration and well-being. There will be awe-inspiring show gardens and the latest trends in outdoor living. Taking inspiration from the RHS' flagship event, here are the Chelsea trends you can copy at home.
Re-wilding
Four of the 12 show gardens will contain weeds such as brambles and thistles to highlight benefits to wildlife, so we expect to see naturalistic planting designs lining the Main Avenue of Chelsea Flower Show gardens as consumers are encouraged to reconnect with nature around them. Native plants will be featured in the show gardens with a palette of soft meadow colours, wildflowers and meadow favourites like cow parsley, poppies and buttercups are set to accompany wispy grasses to bring light and movement to a space.
There will be several bee-friendly paradise gardens featuring readily available plants which feature on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list. We expect native wildflowers and colourful plants to attract pollinators to be all the range and your local garden centre has the perfect selection to bring bees and butterflies to your outdoor space. We are expecting to see perennials such as foxgloves with their bell-shaped pink flowers, spires of lupins and statuesque delphiniums in the mix.
Grow your own
Edible gardening and kitchen gardens will be a key trend at Chelsea this year. Visitors and viewers will see gardens dedicated to a variety of fruits, herbs and vegetables to demonstrate the idea of the best use of space and how to grow your own in an urban setting.
In the show's first-ever working kitchen, the Savills Garden will demonstrate a 'plot-to-plate' alfresco dining experience inspired by ornamental and edible planting. Our Britain Get Growing campaign will give you all the hints and tips you need to start growing your fruit and vegetables with many seeds and young plants in-store so you can give it a go.
Coronation
This year’s event will include ‘A Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration’ to commemorate the Queen Elizabeth ll, whilst celebrating the ascension of King Charles III. The garden will have soft planting with light pink and white flowers to reflect the Queen, combined with blues, and purples to present the new King.
We also expect exhibitors in the Floral Marquee to be launching royal coronation-themed names plants in honour of the new King with immersive royal-themed displays up and down the aisles.
Gardening in small spaces
The Balcony and Container Gardens return to Chelsea this year. Five amateur garden designers will each create a pocket-sized realistic garden in the footprint of the average-sized 2m x 5m balcony.
The Container Gardens will show how to maximize planting when there is limited floor space. Featuring an array of container and planter styles, the 4m x 3m spaces will demonstrate how even a small space can flourish when surrounded by flowers and foliage.
The versatile collection of pots and planters available at British Garden Centres will enhance your home and garden. Whether your style is classic, cottage, or contemporary, our unique collection of styles, colours, and designs will enhance the beauty of your plants.
Climate Consciousness
The Sanctuary Gardens at Chelsea offer plenty of inspiration and often on a more achievable scale which you can find at your local store.
The Biophilic Garden Otsu aims to facilitate human connection with nature in built environments and will feature acers, pines, and mosses which can easily be planted in your urban garden even grown in pots, so is ideal for a small garden.
Boodles British Craft Garden will have a woodland planting scheme which can be achieved with ferns, hostas birch and hornbeam, whilst Hamptons Mediterranean Garden will feature climate-conscious with biodiversity and drought-tolerant plants such as fig trees, pittosporum, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and agave which our plant team can give you advice on.
Houseplants
The Houseplant Studios are back at the famous flower show again this year, throwing the spotlight on indoor plants and their benefits. With many living in flats or houses with no garden, and the RHS revealing that city dwellers spend an average of 90% indoors, the Houseplants Studios is a sensory experience that taps into the ‘wellness’ trend, showcasing how indoor plants purify the air that we breathe and remove toxins and other chemical nasties in the home.
This area of the show aims to inspire even the novice gardener on how houseplants and nature can combine to produce inspirational statements reflected indoors, your local British Garden Centres has a vast collection of houseplants with our knowledgeable team on hand to explain the best plants for each room.