Announcement of Balcony and Container Gardening Display at Chelsea Flower Show 2025
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show 2025 showcased a stunning array of gardens that combined aesthetic appeal with a focus on sustainability, health, and adaptability.
One of the prominent themes was the integration of wellness and biophilic design principles. These gardens aimed to create calming environments that reconnect visitors with nature, enhancing mental and physical health. The gardens featured lush planting, natural materials, and serene atmospheres designed for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Another theme was coastal planting, which drew inspiration from wild coastal landscapes. These displays celebrated native flora adapted to harsh coastal conditions, emphasizing sustainability and resilience in garden design. Water features also played a crucial role, with reflective pools, naturalistic streams, and sustainable irrigation techniques being showcased.
One standout garden was the "Garden of the Future," designed by Butler & Parker and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It combined climate-resilient crops with sustainable technologies such as solar irrigation and rainwater harvesting tanks, creating an immersive experience that balanced beauty with practical solutions for climate adaptation and agricultural innovation.
Other gardens included the MS Amlin Peace of Mind Garden, designed by Hamzah-Adam Desai, which used the psychology of color in its design, with reds, yellows, and oranges for an energizing presence, and greens, purples, and blues to invoke peace and harmony. Meanwhile, Freddie Strickland and Ben Gifford's A Space to Read was a sanctuary designed as a biophilic garden, centered around a flowering Cornus kousa.
The Fettercairn Wilderness Retreat, designed by Sally Giles, Sonia Kamel, and Helier Bowling, aimed to demonstrate how small outdoor spaces can become gardens that provide refuge, with its planting reminiscent of the Cairngorms landscape. Joshia Fenton's C6 garden focused on carbon sequestration, water recycling, and wildlife gardening on a small scale.
Komorebi Garden, designed by Masa Taniguichi, brought the Japanese forests of Nagano to Chelsea Flower Show, while Navium Marine: Blue Mind Gardening, designed by Asleigh Aylett, explored the connection between humans and water, using coastal planting, sea shells, and repurposed ocean materials.
Jun Ishihara, one of Chelsea's most regular and renowned designers, is the father of current designer Jun Ishihara, who designed Secret Base - The Another Green Room, a biophilic garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. The ME + EM City Garden, designed by Caroline and Peter Clayton, was designed for the working woman and featured planters clad in moss green and soft pink bejmat tiles overflowing with planting designed to catch the soft glow of the late afternoon sun.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 offered an immersive experience that not only delighted visitors with its aesthetic appeal but also pushed forward the conversation on sustainability, health, and adaptability in garden design. For those who missed the event, the RHS has announced details about the balcony and container gardens for this year, and the RHS's official page offers all the latest coverage.
- Notable designers such as Jun Ishihara and his son, Jun Ishihara, presented biophilic gardens that aimed to reconnect visitors with nature, fostering mental and physical health.
- Some gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 showcased coastal planting, using native flora adapted to harsh coastal conditions and incorporating sustainable irrigation techniques.
- The Garden of the Future, designed by Butler & Parker, combined climate-resilient crops with sustainable technologies, creating an experience highlighting beauty and practical solutions for climate adaptation.
- Hamzah-Adam Desai's MS Amlin Peace of Mind Garden utilized color psychology, employing energizing reds, yellows, and oranges alongside calming greens, purples, and blues.
- Freddie Strickland and Ben Gifford designed A Space to Read, a sanctuary centered around a flowering Cornus kousa, demonstrating the integration of wellness and biophilic design principles in garden design lifestyle.
