The Chelsea Flower Show 2025

The place to go for inspiration and fresh ideas!

As a designer, like everybody I need to freshen up my act each year. Fashions change, colours influence, new plant varieties are born, new materials emerge and even new construction techniques open doors we may not have imagined before.

Our visit in the last week to The Chelsea Flower Show included some inspiring new ideas from a new line-up of designers and creative thinking from forward thinking experts.

Sarah my wife, and I made tracks to the Show, thinking we were going to be in for a wet day, so we went prepared for a downpour!  Thankfully the weather improved in London and we enjoyed a sunny afternoon, strolling around the stands. But laden with coats and brochures our arms felt the pain the next day!  Another unexpected pleasure was meeting Alice and Mick Corkery, our friends and colleagues from Corker Outdoor Living. We enjoyed a good natter and set the world to rights over a refreshing glass of PIMMS.

Next step was a walk down Main Avenue to admire the large gardens……….

Favourites for us were of course Monty’s Dog garden. If only we’d taken our two Jack-a-Poo’s! Both Basil and Lily would have loved the dog arbour and there would have been plenty of sniffing going on across the grass. Alas they’ll just have to do with our garden. I was hoping that the wonderful orange bandanas dog visitors to the garden were sporting on television would be freely available as a take home, but unfortunately these weren’t available.

Monty’s garden featured some lovely borders full of fennel, opium poppies, oriental grasses, Jerusalem Sage, Lupins, Sanguisorba and bright orange Geum’s that contrasted so wonderfully. The Geum’s seemed a pretty popular plant choice at Chelsea this year (must get some)!

Then there was Kazuyuki Ishihara’s breathtaking Japanese Tea Garden. Oh, what an extraordinary spectacle! This enchanting space was truly magnificent and undeniably worthy of all the acclamation it received from admiring visitors. As you would expect, some beautiful acer palmatum trees were carefully placed throughout the garden to help lead the eye gracefully through this masterpiece of composition.

Accompanying these stunning trees were thoughtfully positioned rocks and raked gravel spaces, along with softer planting that collectively contributed to create a serene feeling of tranquillity. All of this worked harmoniously to calm the soul and prepare you for the refreshing sight of his elegant Tea House.

Here you could savour the delicate aroma’s and flavours whilst you totally relax and unwind.

Next stop for us was the dune formations created by Nigel Dunnett in the Hospitalfield Arts Garden which formed the backdrop for some remarkable drought tolerant planting. The Dunes were created by an ingenious fin structure made of wood and painted to blend in with the Corten Steel garden building, then the space between the fins was back filled with a sand and soil mix to create the illusion of being on the coast. Very clever and effective. the drought tolerant planted completed the look and softened the graphic edges of the fins.

 Tom Hoblyn’s, Garden of Compassion for Hospice UK was beautifully laid out. For me the star of his creation were the graceful curves of his organic benches. Formed from steam bent timbers. These benches blended seamlessly with the planting and rock formations to create a fluid shape helping to lead you through the garden and providing very comfortable resting spaces for visitors. As you can see from the photo the benches also contrasted well with rust coloured garden walls and beautiful planting to create a serine space.

 A huge tick went out to Jo Thompson and the absolutely stunning planting in her Glasshouse Garden. It was a rich tapestry of colour and you only had to listen to the crowds admiring this to gain the popularity of her achievement. The combination of roses, ferns, grasses, foxgloves and birch trees formed a beautiful image and softened the pathways leading to the dramatic glasshouse retreat.

From Main Avenue we made our way to the Small Gardens and it was here that Sarah’s favourite gardens were displayed.

The London Square – Chelsea Pensioners Garden, designed by Dave Green was undeniably a real crowd puller during the event. This might have been further enhanced by the presence of three rather dapper pensioners, who were proudly sporting their richly coloured uniforms. These spirited individuals were real sports, genuinely engaging with the public and drawing attention to the surrounding beauty. However, this lively interaction subtly disguised the cleverness of the garden's design, which featured an amazing vaulted and gracefully curved wooden pergola and an inviting bench seating terrace. All of this was beautifully surrounded by some truly incredible borders filled with a variety of vibrant plants and stunning specimen trees.

The Down’s Syndrome- Scotland Garden , designed by Duncan Hall and Nick Burton included some delightful and playful features, such as a mesmerising walk-on-water illusion, alongside a fragrant water spray that would pop unexpectedly from a large, whimsically designed cauldron. These unique touches brought a real sense of connection with the cause for everyone involved, leaving them feeling engaged and inspired. So, a job very well done! However, while these elements provided nice surprises, the true quality lay in the thoughtful way the garden was expertly designed and meticulously put together, showcasing an array of lovely planting that truly enhanced the overall experience.

Baz Grainger’s – Save for a rainy day garden, is trumpeted for his innovative use of 3D printing techniques which were much publicised on social media and television. An ingenious water capturing and recycling pergola sits centrepiece in the garden, providing an attractive focal point and shade to the Mediterranean  style terrace below.

Hollow overhanging beams then capture rainwater and redistribute this around the garden helping sustain the rich mediterranean planting.

 Our final visit to the smaller gardens includes a mention. The Freedom to Flourish Garden – designed by the Carey Garden Design Studio . This was one of our favourite garden designs. It featured some innovative ideas, planting and use of materials. An island terrace and retreat on a raised platform is surrounded by planting and cut off from land by rising water. Beautifully conceived, built and planted this was a crowd puller and rightly so.

 So just a quick walk round the inspiring winners for us from this years Chelsea Flower Show. For a more information and enjoyment you couldn’t do worse than watching the BBC’s coverage of the Show on i-player. It was really fascinating and well put together this year.

For more information about how you can transform your garden then do contact Tim Sykes on 07725 173820, or see some of his designs at www.gardenproud.co.uk