RHS Chelsea is All About Plants

Steely greys, silvers and blues interspersed with pops of vibrant colour dominated the planting of this garden, designed by Andy Smith-Williams, which strived to demonstrate the power plants have to reconnect communities.

The design depicted two urban households that joined their front gardens together to create a positive space for gardening, socialising, and environmental gain.

Lottie Delamain’s garden championed the physical power of plants as an essential element in the textile industry.

Nettles and cow parsley featured as part of a planting scheme selected for its uses as dyes or fibres, re-establishing the connection between plants and textiles and challenging the impact of the fast fashion industry by leading us to ask “what’s in my clothes?”

Previously a mental health counsellor, designer Pollyanna Wilkinson used her planting to represent the journey of recovery from mental health challenges that many women face in early motherhood.

A muted palette transitioning to bright and exuberant colour reflected this journey from despair to hope.

A naturalistic tapestry of green interspersed with moments of vibrant colour demonstrated the collective power of plants to immerse and enhance our connection to the natural world in Charlie Hawkes’ garden.

The planting was lifted up to pull the viewer into the wilderness of the garden and instil a sense of nature’s awe and wonder and inspire a desire to protect it.