Show Gardens legacy: relocation, reuse & repurpose

As part of the RHS Sustainability Strategy aim to become net positive within the decade, RHS Shows are constantly driving towards a lower carbon footprint

While the Green Audit works towards making the build of the Gardens as sustainable as possible, the Green Legacy looks to reduce waste by ensuring the Gardens have a life after the Show.

Since 2023 all RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gardens must have a plan to relocate, reuse or repurpose. The RHS Shows team gathers information on the Green Legacy, and this database is being added to regularly. Discover what happened to the Gardens, and the positive impact they have had on communities.

What’s involved?

Although a Garden is often built with a final home in mind and relocated there after the Show, there are many reasons why it is not always possible, or desirable to transport a Show Garden in its entirety. Sometimes, parts of a Garden will be repurposed, with plants being donated or sold. Occasionally hard landscaping is reused by the contractors on other projects.

In 2024, the RHS Chelsea Repurposed Garden repurposed elements from Show Gardens dating back as far as 2010.

RHS Chelsea Repurposed Garden at RHS Chelsea 2024
RHS Chelsea Repurposed Garden at RHS Chelsea 2024

Past RHS Chelsea Gardens

Discover their life after the Show

2024

2023

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.