The final flourish – design details from RHS Malvern 2026

Garden designers really are quite remarkable. First, they have a vision in their head about a space and expertly transfer that onto paper to help us imagine the finished garden. Second, they finesse, source and organise how that space will come together. Then they build it, adding layers of planting to make their realised vision sing, but the final flourishes are the hidden, special little details that many might even miss, yet they are the sprinkling of pixie dust that bring the gardens to life.

Pressed perfection

Tiny floral masterpieces have been created on the Pressed in Time: Nature’s Memory Show Garden, showcasing the beauty of flowers in both their living and preserved state. The garden is inspired by the art of flowering pressing and invites you to slow down, reconnect with nature and appreciate the fleeting beauty of seasonal plants.

Miniatures of perfection on the Pressed in Time: Nature’s Memory show garden

Stitched structures

On the ONE garden, pastel coloured bricks create an interesting focal point but rather than using cement to bind them, they have been stitched them together with strong string, creating an unusual criss-cross effect that really caught the attention of the judges and visitors. The innovative UK produced K-Briqs are made from 95% construction waste and recycled colour pigments.

Stitched brickwork creates interest on the ONE garden

Borrowed fun 

The design of The Borrowed Border is inspired by The Borrowers, a 1950s book about tiny people who create secret worlds out of everyday objects. This Blooming Border is filled with tiny details, perfect for a children’s garden, with miniature bridges, washing lines and swings.

Details to suit a child-friendly garden on The Borrowed Garden

Patchwork home

The rear boundary of the ONE garden resembles a wall of art, with intricate details that create a haven for wildlife of all manner, including a small plastic duck. Bricks, stone cut-offs, tiles and clay pipes have been positioned with geometric care to create a stylish home for a variety of creatures. Painted black, the wooden structure recedes and lets the plants come to the fore.

Patchwork wildlife haven on the ONE garden

Pillar planting

In this eye-shaped border, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder, tall bamboo stems resemble eyelashes, and the tops have been planted with succulents. These tough plants suit the heady heights of their planting home and make a good screen behind the planting, for both privacy and shelter.

Pillars for plants on the Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder border

Crafted mastery

The timber elements on The Crafted Garden – designed for a changing climate, are beautifully rustic. Materials have been purposefully used in their simplest form, allowing the garden to feel grounded, honest and closely connected to the surrounding landscape. The rugged

Bark is the outermost layer of woody plants (trees, shrubs and woody climbers). It is several cells thick and provides protection against physical damage, disease and environmental stresses. Bark comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, and these can help gardeners when identifying plants. The fissures and crevices of bark on older plants also creates valuable habitat for many garden creatures as well as lichens and small plants.

Timber pergola on The Crafted Garden – designed for a changing climate

Treasure chest

The Lifted by Birds garden has so many exquisite details it would fill a page but a nostalgic detail is an old metal tree seat, the perfect spot under the dappled shade of a tree. The garden also features a potting bench with time worn items, tools and a few new guests – solitary bees have moved into holes in the stonework and sealed their homes from curious visitors’ eyes.

The Lifted by Birds show garden features a myriad of treasures