Favourite RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gardens

In the week which would have heralded the start of RHS Chelsea Flower show we thought a great way to celebrate the work of many of our industry colleagues would be to highlight some of the great award winning gardens at Chelsea over the last 10 years! 

We asked just a few award winning garden designers what their favourite Chelsea Gardens have been over the years and why?

It is wonderful to be reminded of the exceptional displays which are created for RHS Chelsea – which not only demand creative design but also wonderful landscape construction under very tight schedules to make designs come to life all in time for this globally recognised gardening show.

Thank you Manoj Malde, Lucy Bravington, Linsey Evans, Emma Scarborough and Thomas Hoblyn for your input and letting us know some of your favourites over the years.

Manoj Malde

‘It is the Resilience Garden by Sarah Eberle for which she won a gold medal and in my personal opinion it should have also won Best In Show. 

Images credited to Manoj Malde Garden Design

My test of any garden is the one that pulls at me to want to go and sit in the garden and the Resilience Garden definitely did that.

It also highlighted the importance of protecting the nation’s woods and forests against a changing climate and the ever-increasing threats of pests and diseases. The planting reflected how important it is that we have a bio-diverse rich mix of plants. Modern day agriculture has a lot to answer for. Monoculture is the most negative methods of planting and is a man-made problem brought about by the increase of human demands. I felt this garden had a very poignant message.’

Lucy Bravington

My favourite Chelsea Flower show garden has to be Luciano Giubbilei’s 2011 Laurent Perrier Garden ‘Nature and Intervention’. 

It was stunning….and had everything I love; structure and form from the gorgeous bare-stemmed Parrotia persica trees, romantic perennial underplanting, bespoke stone sculptures, a reflection pool plus a delicate bamboo pavilion. 

2011 was also the first time I’d ever visited Chelsea, this garden had a great impact on me and will always be special!

www.lucybravington.com

Emma Scarborough

This stunning picture of the garden was taken by Britt Willoughby Dyer Photography. 

Arbour Landscape Solutions team favourites

Diarmun Gavin's infamous pyramid constructed for RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2012 is certainly amongst the favourites of the Landscape Industry Specialist Richard Bickler.

This contraversial tower really attracted a lot of attention - and it was pretty mixed! Challenging the norm is what makes it so enticing. Nearly 10 years on and vertical gardens do not raise such attention. We are familiar with living walls and green facades and their popularity is ever increasing as the whole industry tries to integrate "green" into cities.

The RHS Chelsea Flower LIVE show approaches in September 2021 and we can hardly wait!

If you are designing or installing gardens for this prestigious event and you need any support with exceptional landscaping supplies the Arbour Landscape Solutions team is on hand to help.  The My Bill of Quantities tool which is available within your account on the website will enable you to send all of your materials requires to us well in advance so we can do the hard work for you, ensuring timely delivery of everything you require – including bespoke items for one-off-unique garden projects.