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Celebrate the Celtic festival of Beltane with the RHS Shows

As spring gives way to early summer, the ancient festival of Beltane has long marked a moment of growth, abundance and renewed connection with the natural world. Across the RHS Shows in May, elements of this seasonal celebration have been woven into garden design, planting schemes and installations

Beltane, often known as May Day, marks the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It is celebrated across the world by lighting bonfires, feasting, and dancing around a flower-strewn Maypole, to revel in the joys of spring. 

A Beltane border at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival

This Blooming Border at RHS Malvern 2026 takes direct inspiration from traditional Beltane customs, particularly the meeting of the Green Man and the May Queen and the lighting of ceremonial fires to mark the transition from spring to summer.

The design of A Beltane Border reflects ideas of renewal and regeneration through both materials and planting. Dark stone and charred timber are used to reference fire, while a richly layered planting palette includes

native trees and shrubs traditionally associated with Beltane, such as birch, rowan and hawthorn. Warm colours run through the border, echoing historic beliefs that yellow tones at Beltane brought good fortune for the year ahead.

Visitors are encouraged to step inside the border rather than view it from the outside. A central route leads to a sheltered seating area, creating space to pause and reflect at this turning point in the seasonal calendar. The intention is to create a garden that feels celebratory but also grounding, mirroring Beltane’s role as a moment of transition and connection with nature.

A Beltane border, designed by Dominika Henzel, Lauren Taylor, Chris Wright and Euan Douglas
Season of abundance at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Beltane symbolism also sits at the heart of the RHS x Citi Season of Abundance garden, a feature installation at RHS Chelsea 2026. Described as an homage to the energy and plenty of May, the installation draws directly on Beltane’s origins as a Celtic festival celebrating fertility, growth and the shift towards summer.

Set within the Great Pavilion, sculptural planting forms rise from the ground, filled with unfurling foliage, grasses and emerging blooms. The planting highlights species that are closely associated with May and Beltane traditions, both for their symbolism and their peak flowering season. Hawthorn, which traditionally blooms around Beltane, represents renewal and protection, while elder is linked to abundance and has long played a role in seasonal rituals. Medicinal and calming plants such as chamomile, lemon balm and peonies reinforce the themes of wellbeing, vitality and healing.

Alongside its visual impact, the installation also supports shared learning, with expert growers hosting talks throughout the show. This emphasis on community knowledge reflects Beltane’s historic function as a collective celebration rooted in local traditions.

RHS x Citi Season of Abundance garden, designed by Imogen Perreau
Beltane themes across the RHS Chelsea showground

Elsewhere at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Beltane ideas are explored through the showground. The Flowers in the Forest installations interpret different aspects of the ancient Celtic festival. 

The popular RHS Letters, this year designed by Hamilton Floral Studio, are themed around ‘love spell’. Adorned with botanicals symbolising love, fertility and passion – including Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn) and Lonicera periclymenum (honeysuckle) – the design celebrates the healing power of plants. Honey and bees, central to both love magic and Beltane traditions, feature prominently among early summer flowers.

Eruptions and Pauses in Nature, designed by Carly Rogers Flowers, represents the stillness within morning dew, with a monochromatic exhibit that stands out against the green parkland backdrop. Three bold sculptural forms are covered with thousands of white Gypsophila flowerheads. 

RHS letters, designed by Hamilton Floral Studio
Eruptions and Pauses in Nature, designed by Carly Rogers Flowers
Hortus Poeticus have designed A Circle in Stone: an Invitation to Pause, a quiet stone circle offering a place to pause from the noise of the modern world and observe the details of nature. Blooms are interwoven with flint, chalk, stone, mossy logs and handmade cairns, shaping a time-forgotten moment. Various forms, from abundant ceremonial urns to a reflective stone pool and spiral path, guide visitors inward and outward, celebrating seasonal abundance.

Finally, Ribbons of the Root Network, designed by Pinstripes and Peonies, bring the Maypole to RHS Chelsea with a central tree adorned with polychromatic ribbons. At its base, flowing tendrils of planted flowers emerge in a rainbow of technicolour, including delphiniums, Campanula and peonies.

A Circle in Stone: an Invitation to Pause, designed by Hortus Poeticus
Ribbons of the Root Network, designed by Pinstripes and Peonies
These gardens and installations show how Beltane continues to influence contemporary horticultural storytelling. Whether through direct references to folklore or through designs that celebrate growth, abundance and springtime joy, the RHS Shows in early May reflect the enduring relevance of this seasonal festival.

Book your tickets for RHS Malvern Spring Festival, 7-10 May and RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 19-23 May

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