The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden design team finalise plans for garden

Final plans given ‘green light’ by King Charles III for RHS and King’s Foundation Feature Garden, set to take centre stage at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

The team behind The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden have gathered at Highgrove in Gloucestershire to finalise, finesse and rubber stamp the plans for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Feature Garden, which celebrates and encourages people to get curious about gardening and spending time in nature.

The King, Royal Founding President of The King’s Foundation and Royal Patron of the RHS, was joined by King’s Foundation Ambassador Sir David Beckham, King’s Foundation and RHS Ambassador Alan Titchmarsh CBE and Frances Tophill, the garden designer, for a special meeting at Highgrove to discuss the plants and plans for the garden. The group are united by a love for gardening and the outdoors, and the hope that a new generation will consider careers in horticulture.

Garden trainees and apprentices from both RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey and Highgrove Gardens are also involved in the Curious Garden project and will be on site planting at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in May. As part of the meeting at Highgrove, the King heard from the garden trainees about their excitement around the project, who are also taking part in exchange visits to each other’s gardens.

At the meeting, it was agreed that the Curious Garden will host a beehive, inspired by the King and Sir David’s enthusiasm for beekeeping and producing natural honey. Other design elements already announced for the garden include an easel created by Snowdon School of Furniture Graduate Eleanor Pickin, who met those involved in the garden’s design at the Highgrove furniture workshop; seven raised beds as a nod to Sir David’s iconic football team shirt number, as well as roses by David Austin Roses for the King, Sir David and Alan Titchmarsh.

Following the meeting, Sir David, King’s Foundation Ambassador, said: “Both The King’s Foundation and the RHS do such great work in protecting and promoting green spaces across the UK. I want to help encourage a new generation to appreciate the benefits of nature and get involved in gardening. It’s been fun to be a part of creating the Curious Garden and I’m excited for people to see it at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.”
Alan Titchmarsh CBE, King’s Foundation and RHS Ambassador, said: “As a long-time supporter of both the RHS and The King’s Foundation, I am delighted to lend my horticultural expertise to the Curious Garden. Curiosity is really the beginning of any gardening journey – and certainly that’s how I began my career – so I hope this work inspires a new generation of gardeners to explore their talents through the incredible training and work experience schemes available via the RHS and The King’s Foundation.”

Frances Tophill, garden designer for the Curious Garden, said: “As my first Chelsea Garden for the RHS, I am thrilled to be working on such a special design. It has been inspiring to spend time at Highgrove and learn more about His Majesty’s approach to gardening and how he incorporates his philosophy of harmony into all of the work that takes place there, which we have brought to the designs for the garden. I can’t wait to share the Curious Garden with the world!”

The RHS is the UK’s Gardening Charity, founded in 1804, today the charity helps millions of people across the country garden and grow for health, happiness and the environment. With a mission to promote the Science, Art and Practice of Horticulture, the charity runs national grass roots school gardening and community gardening campaigns and conducts vital science research to help mitigate some of the biggest environmental challenges facing us today.

The King’s Foundation is His Majesty’s nature and sustainability charity. The organisation offers education programmes for young people in traditional, sustainable skills and outdoor learning, as well as managing and developing gardens on behalf of His Majesty, including those at Highgrove, Dumfries House and the Castle of Mey.

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The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden design team finalise plans for garden

Garden trainees from Highgrove Gardens are excited to be involved in the Curious Garden

The design team discussed elements of the Curious Garden, including beehives and raised beds

Alan Titchmarsh, Frances Tophill and Sir David Beckham discuss designs for the Feature Garden

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