Snaking through Ranelagh Gardens are the Houseplant Studios, sponsored by Malvern Garden Buildings. A Show favourite, with visitors looking for indoor inspiration and houseplant advice. Each garden building houses a different design theme.
As increasing numbers of gardeners only have indoor spaces to grow, the category has grown in ambition to explore the origins of many traditional houseplants and look at how we can incorporate them into our lives and our homes. This year the Houseplant Studio designers have created aspirational spaces, which invite visitors to experience being surrounded in nature inside as well as out, all with a delicious touch of whimsy and wonder.
Babylon Beats
by James Whiting of Plants by There and The Little Botanical
Babylon Beats is a contemporary interpretation of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in a vibrant immersive and interactive display. Houseplants envelope the structure, cascading down the walls, hanging from the roof and emerging from the ground and sprawling across an outdoor feasting table, laid in tribute to the five Babylonian gods of the earth, wind, sky, fire and sea.
Inside the houseplant studio, is a sensory shrine to nature and the five ancient elements represented in plant form. Visitors are invited to choose an element and pay it tribute by adding a colourful offering to a small pool in front of the building. As the Show week progresses, the pool will become a riot of colour and will reflect the most worshipped elements.
Using light, sound, scent and texture, Babylon Beats transports visitors away from the bustling showground to a more secluded space where they feel connected to the plants around them.
The Sensory Retreat
By Pippa Jameson of The Sensory Home and Beards & Daisies
The Sensory Retreat is designed as a multi-sensory home sanctuary, where plants are not just decorative but play an active role in shaping mood, reducing stress, and enhancing well-being. It showcases how a small, plant-filled corner of a home can become a peaceful, restorative escape-whether for relaxation, work, or social connection.
The studio is divided into five sensory zones, each focusing on a different element of sensory experience:
Sight – Memory wall and botanical display. A visually calming and layered botanical display, featuring pressed plants, botanical artwork, and sculptural greenery.
Smell – ‘Smell Me’ fragrance wall. A lush vertical garden of aromatic plants, including lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus, designed to engage the sense of smell through interaction.
Touch – Sensory nook and chillout corner. A cocoon-like retreat, featuring soft, plush seating and tactile plants such as lamb’s ear, ferns and moss.
Taste – ‘Eat Me’ herb garden. A playful vertical herb garden, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, featuring basil, chocolate mint, and spicy oregano.
Sound – Outdoor water feature and whispering grasses. A natural soundscape created by tall ornamental grasses swaying in the breeze and a gentle water feature.
Inspired by the designers experiences of autism and dyslexia, The Sensory Retreat integrates sensory design principles, to create spaces that support, rather than overwhelm, our senses.
The Roots of Wellbeing
by Botanic York
The Roots of Wellbeing studio is a cosy and comfortable space to live and work in retreat from the chaos of modern life. Trailing plants fill the walls and dangle from the ceiling to create a feeling of being immersed in plants. Visitors brush past curtains of greenery to enter the inside jungle where plants are used to delineate an office or workspace.
Herbs with soothing aromas, and restful music create a calming ambiance. Inside blends seamlessly with the outdoor space with fragrant living walls and a central station with potted herbs either side of a standing computer workstation, to enable outside working. There’s a freestanding sink and a dedicated area for plant care or just a place to make a cup of mint tea while pottering, gardening and just hanging out.
The TerrariROOM
by Hugo & Green
In The TerrariROOM, you can imagine stepping into an immersive terrarium which explores the botanical art of creating an indoor jungle. A sweeping carpet of blue star ferns starts outside the building, with greenery enveloping the floor and walls, leading inside.
Feature plants hang from trees in kokedama (moss balls that act as a pot for the root ball) and mature plants stand above a carpet of ferns, inviting visitors deeper into the foliage. Plant selection and placement show how to make plant care easier, with grow lights reducing the need for proximity to a window. Kokedama demonstrations show visitors how to recreate the look at home.
The Victorian Arid House
by The Plant Rescuer X RHS
The design of The Victorian Arid House is inspired by the Victorians’ fascination with cacti and succulents, particularly the way they were displayed in glasshouses and private conservatories during the 19th century. The purpose of the exhibit is to showcase the timeless appeal of these plants, from their historical significance to their modern resurgence as statement pieces in interior and exterior design.
A carefully curated display will feature a diverse selection of arid plants, arranged to highlight their colours, textures and forms. This Houseplant Studio will be not be judged.
Laura B’s Paper Plant Studio
by Laura Burns
Laura B’s Paper Plant Studio will be a working collage artist’s studio, dressed with houseplants that have inspired Laura’s collages over the years. The studio will have a veranda with an area for Laura to work during the week as she makes a large-scale collage celebrating the atmosphere and energy of the Houseplant Studio area.
The studio will have a range of different leaf shapes and colours as this is what inspires Laura when she collages. This Houseplant Studio will be not be judged.