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Small details, big impact at RHS Chelsea 2026

From sculptural showstoppers to the smallest crafted details, this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show rewards a closer look. Discover the design touches, materials and ideas that bring each garden to life

This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show has show gardens that blend sci-fi, myth and futuristic styling. The big picture of these gardens is always outstanding but when you take time to look more carefully, there are some truly incredible details hidden in plain sight that deserve pointing out.

The jaw-dropping

The sculpture of Mother Nature or Gaia on Sarah Eberle’s The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: ‘On the Edge’ is a triumph, and will go down in Chelsea legend. Carved from the wood of a fallen redwood by Chris Wood, her flowing hair has been woven from willow by artist Tom Hare. It reminds me of Te Fiti in Disney’s Moana, a goddess resting in the ocean, and there are figures similar to this in two Cornish gardens – The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Her hair sweeps up and around the space, becoming a feature through the garden, and the ‘hip joint’, where stone meets redwood, is exquisitely crafted. The local wildlife have also appreciated having Mother Nature come to rest for a while, as Sarah told us that each night an urban fox climbs up Gaia’s arm and sleeps on her face. Magical.

Each night a fox sleeps on the cheek of Mother Nature
Exquisite details include where stone meets redwood at the ‘hip’ joint
Twisting willow hair flows along the stone walls
The futuristic

Shelters, pergolas and structures were strong in most gardens this year. From the Star Wars-esque womb-like curves of the ochre walls on the Lady Garden Foundation ‘Silent No More’ Garden, to the futuristic looking disc-shaped pergola on The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden. This not only collects water, filtering it gently to the lower pools through angled legs, but also generates solar energy to power digital learning tools within the garden.

A futuristic feel to the womb-like structures
Alien forms provide water recycling and solar power
On The Children’s Society Garden, slim steel girders have been welded to form a strong geometric pergola that seems to hover above the garden, creating a sense of enclosure without feeling overbearing.

Geometrically perfect steel girders provide structure and height
The pergola also gives a degree of privacy and stability where it joins the shingle wall
Similarly the stone walls of The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden create privacy but not a barrier and the garden itself feels light and full of biodiversity in this climate-forward design. Delicate touches such as drying racks for straw and bird nests made of moss and twigs hanging from the trees give the garden charm.

Strong walls provide screening and structure
Straw drying on racks in the garden
Bird nests hang from trees, made from moss and twigs
On The Asthma + Lung UK Breathing Space Garden an expansive Japanese-style roof provides shelter for exercise. The rear walls of this garden are formed from timber in a 4-4-6 pattern of slats, representing the rectangular healing breath that can help sufferers with anxiety expand their breathing. There is so much detail in this space, such as the reused oxygen tanks that seem to hold up the deck, and as you move through the garden you are encouraged to take a few steps, then rest, then move on. A sculpture resembling lungs, sits on a plinth made from the coal sweepings from the last decommissioned power station in England. Two gnarly pine trees residing majestically either side of this calm space are affectionately known as ‘The Brothers’ and wrap the garden with a warm restoring hug.

A sculpture represents the lungs while dark walls form a 4-4-6 breathing pattern
Recycled air tanks are a quirky feature under the decking
Planted dishes provide restful green spaces for the mind
The crafted 

The Boodles Garden takes its inspiration from the Historic Royal Palaces. Crafted items in the garden include metalwork vines that

twine up the supports of a pergola, as well as forming pretty grillwork across drainage channels. On the underside of the pergola, painted flowers adorn the canopy and the garden is filled with jewel tones.

Metalwork vines clamber up the supports of the pergola
Intricate grillwork makes a functional channel pretty
Decorative vines adorn the pergola
On Parkinson’s UK – A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey, a sweeping ‘hand-rill’ designed to aid visitors with the condition has been carefully formed from Accoya wood, in an intricately twisting dance through the colourful planting. The water running along this rill provides sensory cues that assist with freezing – a sudden temporary inability to move, one of the symptoms of Parkinson’s. The night-time shelter, punched with holes is also made from Accoya wood and is subtly lit at night to avoid disturbing wildlife.

A twisting Accoya wood ‘hand rill’ snakes through the garden
Taking centre stage in the Trussell’s Together Garden is a reciprocal timber structure inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic self-supporting bridge design. Designer Rob Hardy explains, “each beam both supports and is supported by its neighbours, symbolising the mutual support people give one another.” 

Each piece supports the other in the timber structure
Seafood seconds

New materials are often showcased at RHS Chelsea and this year by-products of the shellfish industry feature in gardens. On The Eden Project garden, clam shells have been transformed into a low-carbon construction material known as Clam-crete on both the rear wall and the terracing.

Crushed clam shells are used in the rear wall cladding and as mulch
On the Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City garden, oyster shells stud the walls and fossilised oysters can be found in rocks. Even the water feature is shaped like an oyster.

Oyster shells create texture in the boundary wall
The level of detail on the Addleshaw Goddard garden resulted in them winning Best Construction for a Small Show Garden. Teal and copper details, also seen in other gardens, featured in stunning design elements such as water rills, step risers and fountains. Designer Joe Carey told me that the cuts in the stonework were very precisely a 27.5 degree angle off the back wall and how important precision is in urban design: “Generous city design should have a balance of repetition and complexity, so that there is order amidst the chaos. Your brain is naturally seeking order without even knowing it, to calm you.”

Water rills are seen across the site this year, each one beautifully executed
The pool beneath the water feature is shaped as an oyster shell
Top drawer

Perhaps a strange link across the show was the use of drawers. On The Seasalt Painted Garden, vibrant teal and emerald green filing cabinet drawers make perfect planters, and also feature on The Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden. Here they have been handcrafted and the level of detailing, such as the precision dovetailing, is incredible. Details of this popular space include a shiny twisting formed chair and brass inlay on the edges of the steps. This level of detailing is what takes a good garden to a brilliant one. 

Brightly coloured, repurposed filing cabinet drawers become planters
Carefully crafted dovetailing on the drawers
Brass inlay gives a touch of sparkle in the steps

Watch more RHS Chelsea design tricks anyone can use



It has been a stellar year for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and there’s lots more to look forward to as we head on to our touring shows, firstly the RHS Badminton Flower Show 8–12 July in Gloucestershire, and then to the Royal Family’s Norfolk estate at the RHS Sandringham Flower Show 22–26 July. Book your tickets now for even more horticultural joy.

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