It’s 40 years since Chris Baines created the first wildlife garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. His 1985 Show Garden, which included biennial kale that had run to seed and foxgloves full of holes, which had been saved from the skip, befuddled RHS judges at the time, but delighted the gardening public at the show.
That same year, Chris released his hugely influential and pioneering book about wildlife gardening, now published as Companion to Wildlife Gardening by the RHS. However, at the time, the environmentalist had no idea that he was kickstarting a horticultural trend.
Now, says Chris, RHS Chelsea has fully embraced a wildlife movement: “Almost all of the gardens at this year’s Show have a really strong environmental message. There’s everything from drought-resistant gardens to those that are using upcycled construction materials and solar energy. Back in 1985, it was clear gardeners wanted to be inspired to make a positive difference – and now RHS Chelsea helps to show us how.”
Chris’ top wildlife gardens at RHS Chelsea 2025
The King’s Trust Garden: Seeding Success, by Joe Perkins
Chris says: “For those in new builds this is the Show Garden to make for. Firstly, it highlights pioneer plants – the first plants to colonise a new or disturbed area – that tend to flower brightly to attract pollinators but are also tough enough to survive in the poor, rubbly soil often found alongside new houses. This kind of woodland-style garden, which can be created in urban areas too, is best for those wanting to attract wildlife. Bluetits, black birds, robins and thrushes are woodland glade birds; many butterflies love woods too. Build a garden that creates the same wooded atmosphere, and they will come.”
Fettercairn Wilderness Retreat, by ssh scapes: Sonia Kamel, Sally Giles & Helier Bowling
Chris says: “A key way to attract wildlife is to plant a garden that reflects its wider surroundings: if you provide the same sort of natural resources, then whatever's around will come in. For most of us, that will be the leafy landscape of suburbia’s parks and gardens. This Balcony Garden adopts the same principle, but is set next to an open Scottish landscape where the local wildlife lives in heather moorland and birch woodland. It’s almost like making your garden into a kind of service station in the wider landscape, which is especially beneficial for migrating birds and butterflies in which to make a pit stop.”
The SongBird Survival Garden, by Nicola Oakey
Chris says: “Designed to inspire children, this All About Plants garden is a timely reminder that birds are vulnerable. The numbers of many familiar species have declined catastrophically in recent years, but gardens are helping to slow that. This one is full of features that can help: groundcover for foraging blackbirds and robins; plants that can run to seed in autumn for finches; and sheltered sites for nest building. There’s also a wonderful secret hideaway from where young wildlife lovers can spot the feathered friends they’re helping to protect.”
Seawilding, by Ryan McMahon
Chris says: “As an island nation, and a nation of gardeners, our shoreline has been surprisingly neglected. Now, at the eleventh hour, the marine environment is beginning to be taken seriously. Conservationists are using horticultural skills to reestablish seagrass lawns in the tidal shallows, and there are ambitious schemes to restore the lost native oyster beds and kelp forest. This All About Plants garden is a celebration of that narrow strip of land above high tide. It is a skilful reminder of the simple beauty of the shoreline, the challenge it presents to gardeners, and the wisdom of working with the plants that grow there naturally.”
The Wildlife Trusts’ British Rainforest Garden, by Zoe Claymore
“Our Atlantic, or Celtic rainforests are a world-class, well-kept secret. Of all our disappearing habitats – and Britain is now the most nature-depleted country in Europe – this is probably the rarest and most irreplaceable. Recreating the dripping wet conditions of the Celtic Fringe is quite a challenge in South Kensington, but this All About Plants garden shows how very beautiful the lush green vegetation of mosses, lichens and ferns can be. There are plenty of modest woodland wildflowers too, and most importantly this garden will alert the public to an urgent conservation challenge that is uniquely British.”
The Pathway Garden, by Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin
“This Show Garden is breaking the mould – with mold! Gardening with nature has come a long way in 40 years, and The Pathway Garden is at the cutting edge. Mycelium – the network of fine white filaments in a fungus – is used to create a tough, natural material. Indeed, the whole garden is a demonstration of reusing, recycling and upcycling materials, but is also a delightful space for people to enjoy the therapeutic power of natural surroundings. In most gardens, creating a sheltered woodland glade environment will be the best way to attract our most musical songbirds, our most colourful butterflies and many of the most secretive animals. Using native hazel and alder helps to boost that success and reminds us how beautiful our native trees can be.”
