The RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May is the place to see cutting-edge, world-class garden designs, rare plants and exclusive shopping and culinary experiences.
And Hampshire exhibitors will be showing off their best. Look out for great designs, plants and drinks from the county.
Hampshire nursery Hortus Loci is supplying four major gardens with stunning flowers (Two show gardens, one small show garden and one All About Plants garden).
The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden, sponsored by Project Giving Back is designed by
Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis.
It’s a celebration of regeneration, hope, and the power of young adults to build brighter, positive futures. The garden is set in Morecambe Bay and is inspired by the area’s distinctive landscape and community. Once a thriving seaside resort, like many others, Morecambe has faced decades of decline but is now on the cusp of transformation. The garden will aim to engage young people in developing practical skills, creativity, and pathways into the green industries.
At its heart stands a pioneering solar-powered structure that provides both shelter and a classroom. Beneath its curved roof, a central table hosts workshops that blend hands-on craft, horticulture, and cutting-edge digital learning. The structure rises from a shell-inspired island terrace, encircled by a reflective pool that captures and recycles rainwater, a living system for resilience and renewal.
Framed by limestone, innovative shell-based materials and salt-tolerant planting, the garden reflects the character of Morecambe Bay and embodies Eden Project’s mission to demonstrate and inspire positive action for the planet, empowering young people with the tools and confidence to thrive.
Planting/Colour Scheme
The planting will evoke a coastal meadow, combining resilience with a soft, naturalistic feel.
The colour palette will be led by pinks and yellows, contrasted with occasional pops of blue
for vibrancy. Textural grasses and coastal-adapted species will give movement and atmosphere, balancing toughness with a gentle, immersive character.
The Children’s Society Garden, also sponsored by Project Giving Back is designed by Patrick Clarke.
It’s a nurturing space where teenagers can find safety, peace and connection to support their emotional wellbeing. Inspired by designer Patrick Clarke’s mission to help regenerate optimism and hope in our younger generation, visitors will step into a reimagined urban landscape created with young people, ensuring their voices are at its heart.
The design draws inspiration from the Japanese concept of ‘wabi-sabi’ or the recrafting of imperfect or discarded materials to create something beautiful and functional. Overhead, a canopy of recycled steel rafters, inlaid with handcrafted glass, casts a soothing light across the space, a reminder of how strength and resilience can grow through finding support or simply pausing for breath in a world that can feel overwhelming.
Planting/Colour Scheme
The garden will feature a resilient network of planting that will weave its way through areas designed for sun, transitional shade, and full shade. The planting palette consists of rich spring greens and coppery bronze tones with plants in buttery yellows and dark rich aubergine tones that blend with the rusts, coppers and verdigris colours of the hard landscaping.
Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth is a small show garden designed by Max Parker-Smith.
This suburban garden is inspired by one of Australia’s epic train journeys on the Indian Pacific, crossing the stunning and unique Australian Outback landscape to link the two beautiful coastal cities of Adelaide and Perth.
The garden structure echoes the shape and interior of the train carriage, splitting the space in two. On one side, the wild Western Australian Outback is captured through tiered sand beds and native planting. The opposing side reflects the National Park City of Adelaide’s green urban vision, containing trees and natural water corridors.
Reclaimed timber, ochre coloured eco-concrete, stone, aggregate, and low-carbon metals are used throughout the design. Inside the pergola, modern timber panelling is repeated on the boundary wall, framing a quiet seating area.
The garden’s central dining space is nestled among sand-loving plants, celebrating Western Australia’s 8000+ endemic species. The garden reflects the diverse landscapes and more than 350 national parks and reserves found in South and Western Australia.
Planting/Colour Scheme
Planting is heavily inspired by both Western Australia and South Australia, in a palette of muted greens, with some blues and hot-coloured flowers.
Eucalyptus, Callistemon, Hakea, Grevillea and Anigozanthos all feature prominently. They’re native to both South Australia and Western Australia and many can be found growing in the Kwongan.
Woodland Trust’s Forgotten Forests Garden, sponsored by Project Giving Back is designed by Ashleigh Aylett.
The garden will celebrate the vital work the Woodland Trust does to bring the UK’s rare and vulnerable ancient woods back to life. It’s been designed to showcase how ancient woodland can re-emerge from plantation sites with careful stewardship. A transition zone where the uniform conifers give way to a more diverse, naturally regenerated woodland will reiterate that the garden is a living and evolving landscape rather than a fully matured forest.
Visitors will follow the restoration journey of a damaged ancient woodland from a dense, dark conifer forest into a regenerated thriving ancient woodland bursting with life, colour and beauty.
At the heart of the garden is a “wishing tree” that acts as both a focal point and an interactive
installation. Visitors will be invited to hang ceramic and paper tags on its branches. Each of the tags will carry a short personal message about why trees and woodland landscapes are so important. This collective act of participation reflects the growing movement for woodland conservation and symbolises the way many voices together can bring about meaningful change.
Planting/Colour Scheme
The garden places planting at the centre of the design, reflecting a move towards soft landscaping and immersive naturalistic planting schemes. The garden utilises native plants and trees, demonstrating the beauty of our native flora that can be integrated into garden schemes to boost biodiversity. In addition, over half the plants featured in the garden are recognised ancient woodland indicators – species that reveal a woodland’s long history and continuity. The garden’s colour scheme will showcase a neutral green tapestry with woodland diversity, lifted by touches of colour from species such as red campion and dog rose.
Sarah Eberle, former design director for Hampshire-based Hillier Nurseries is back with another beautiful garden in the Show Garden category. This year it’s for The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden and it’s called On the Edge.
Sponsored by Project Giving Back, On the Edge shines a light on the overlooked countryside at the edge of our towns and cities. These ‘edgelands’ connect people to nature in everyday life, yet they sit on the edge of survival, undervalued and under constant threat.
In CPRE’s centenary year, the garden shows there is hope on our doorstep; with the right care, these fragile places can recover and thrive for future generations.
Set on undeveloped land looked after by a community on the urban fringe, the garden showcases nature’s resilience with a fallen mature tree that still supports life and is carved to resemble Gaia, or Mother Nature. Surrounded by generous, naturalistic planting, her hand touches water from a shallow pool while her willow hair flows to form the top of a dry-stone wall that snakes through the naturalistic landscape.
Planting/Colour Scheme
The site includes naturalised garden plants from previous fly-tipping of garden waste,
transforming neglect into abundance. Planting is rich, diverse and textural, celebrating the
UK’s native flowering plants often dismissed as ‘weeds’ but vital to our ecosystems.
Sparsholt College Group is showcasing another student-designed garden, continuing their tradition of educational, high-impact exhibits. This year they’re creating a natural dye garden with a laundry theme. Visit them at stand GPD051.
There are some great Hampshire trade stands to shop at:
Pommery continues its partnership as the official champagne provider for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. Enjoy their refined offerings amidst stunning gardens
Cunard also continues its partnership with the RHS for the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show. The cruise line presents “The Stage in partnership with Cunard” and showcases signature floral, maritime-themed installations. Look out for their iconic floral photo porthole, designed to evoke the elegance of ocean travel. The bellhop staff will be around to star in the photos with you.
Show dates: 19–23 May 2026.
Location: Royal Hospital Chelsea, London.
Tickets are now on sale.
