Floristry and floral design

There are two categories of floral exhibits in the Grand Pavilion in 2024. Creative Spaces and Floral Creations which is a brand new category. Smaller arrangements are mounted on plinths with the theme for 2024 of ‘Colour’. These displays are judged for RHS medals and are applicable to win the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year.

Burst – Floral Creations
From muted earthy tones to a big burst of colour, the designe represents how the start of a new cycle or great idea, is often muted. Growing and developing over many days, months or years and finally blooming into an innovative, bright and colourful burst. The floral material is loosely arranged to mirror nature. Contrasting colours of pink, purples, oranges and yellows catch the visitor's eye.

Key flowers: Ranunculus, Sanguisorba, Clematis, Helleborus, Cosmos.

Inner Peace – Floral Creations
Approximately one in four adults and one in 10 children will experience mental health problems each year. Recognising the need for calm among the chaos, the display depicts an inner stillness and a connection to nature. Beautiful British flowers, delicate vine-like materials and grasses protect and cocoon the focal rose feature representing ‘Inner Peace’. The palest tones are chosen as they are the often undervalued introverts of the colour world.

Key flowers: Roses, jasmine, Anemone, Clematis, Alchemilla, Nigella.

Nature’s Botanical Palette – Floral Creations
Inspiration comes from Jephson Gardens in Royal Leamington Spa. A mindful space where the giant Lebanese cedar tree towers above the wonderful botanical collections from around the world, housed throughout the gardens and the temperate house. The design uses the Japanese colour methodology of ‘natural harmony’. Taking tiny steps in tint, tone hue and shade, takes the viewer on a joyous, mindful journey through the spectrum. 

Key flowers: Orchids, roses, Geum, Sandersonia, Eucalyptus, Ceropegia woodii

Glazes – Floral Creations
The use of blended, fluid layers of colour by Impressionist and Romantic movement painters radiates an evanescent quality. The design explores how floral composition and colour layering can work similarly. A painter’s palette tells a compelling story purely through colour and the display aims to be a floating collection of floral ‘palettes’. The aim is to evoke a response to the British flowers’ natural beauty, texture and colour through a layered piece consisting of softened, hazy outlines. 

Key flowers: Sweet peas, roses, clematis, geums, viburnum, corncockle, sweet rocket.

The Capital of May – Floral Creations
This arrangement is inspired by the celebration of May Day in Oxford and is a play on the ancient architectural features of a Corinthian column. Sculptural leaves and branches create a column’s ‘capital’ while the focus on green, textural foliage evokes the Green Man and new life unfurling. One unusual aspect of this display is the lack of focal flowers and bright colours. Instead, the focus is on the different shades of green in May as the most versatile colour of the season. Plants are chosen for their strong shapes, colour and textures to create a sculptural arrangement to be seen from all angles.

Key flowers: Cardoon, Acanthus, Solomon’s seal, ferns, hawthorn.

Seed to Ceiling: ‘As above, so below’ – Creative Spaces
The exhibit is a floral tapestry woven from the landscape, designed to illustrate the journey of a flower from seed to ceiling. A tangled web of flower garlands rain down from the boughs of the trees reflecting the landscape below. The piece showcases how flowers and plants are transformed by natural drying processes, evolving into new, beautiful forms. The colour scheme features warm tones with fresh impressions that evoke growth and energy – a dance of elemental colours led by the seasons and the Celtic wheel of the year, which are all interconnected.

Key flowers: Dried flowers, poppies, roses

Heartwood – Creative Spaces
Heartwood is a sculptural reflection of nature. As a tree ages, new rings of sapwood are grown, protecting the inner heartwood from decay. In return, the redundant inner cells create a strong structural pillar, giving strength as it grows in its search for more light. When a tree falls and splits open, its inner core is revealed – The heartwood. Ripped from protection; vulnerable and weak, the tree begins to die. However, even in this fading state, nature finds a purpose. Plants, moss, fungi and living organisms begin to thrive on the heartwood, bringing a new purpose to the meaning of this core.

Key flowers: Allium, geums, Alchemilla, foxgloves, cornflowers, larkspur.