The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden revealed

The garden is being championed by King Charles III, Patron of the RHS and Royal Founding Patron of The King’s Foundation, along with King’s Foundation Ambassador Sir David Beckham and King’s Foundation and RHS Ambassador Alan Titchmarsh, CBE. 

Key features of the garden include:

• a beautiful oak building representing a ‘museum of curiosities’ at the centre of the garden. It will be filled with everything plant related in a celebration of the vast world of horticulture, including stunning dried flower displays from Bex Partridge
• seven raised plant beds as a nod to Sir David Beckham and the iconic Manchester United and England, national football team number seven shirt he wore
• RHS recommended delphiniums grown by the RHS at RHS Wisley Garden, Surrey, celebrating King Charles III being Patron of the Delphinium Society and their prominence at his Highgrove garden
• an Artist’s Easel created by The King’s Foundation’s Snowdon School of Furniture
• across the garden the finesse, flowers and good horticulture will celebrate Alan Titchmarsh, CBE. 

The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden aims to encourage the nation to discover the joy of getting curious about gardening and the vital contribution plants make to the health of people, places and planet. 

The garden explores and celebrates the diverse nature of plants and all the ways they enrich our lives and our industries. It aims to spark curiosity in the hope of inspiring a new generation of gardeners and inspire people into careers working with the environment and rural crafts. Apprentices and garden trainees from both the RHS and The King’s Foundation charities will be involved with the planting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to discover what it takes to create a garden at the world’s most famous flower show. 

Talking about the garden, Frances said: “I’m so excited to share my first garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show. With input from The King, Alan Titchmarsh and Sir David Beckham, I’ve had a lot of fun incorporating elements that celebrate their involvement and the ideas they have contributed. 

“With sustainability front and central for the King, there are no man-made materials being used in the garden and it will be a concrete free construction. As per The King’s Foundation ethos and education programmes, we will be showcasing artisan crafts and skills, including a very beautiful Artist Easel created by alumni from the charity’s furniture school. 

“Featuring lots of fruit, vegetables and herbs, along with many different varieties of flowers, we have managed to include some of Sir David Beckham’s favourite plants. With my dear friend Alan Titchmarsh being one of the greatest gardeners of modern times, we will be showcasing the highest standards of horticulture and celebrating the breadth of horticultural careers though stories we tell about the garden.” 

The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden will be brimming with take home ideas for people to grow more plants and create beautiful pockets of nature, be it on a windowsill, in a container garden or in a private garden space. 

The final home for the garden, after the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, will be college for young adults, where the dye garden plants are set to be used by fashion students, and vegetable and herbs by catering students. RHS Ambassador and Vice President Floella Benjamin is championing the garden living on after the show. 

The King’s Foundation is King Charles III’s nature and sustainability charity. Founded in 1990, the Foundation works to build sustainable communities and transform lives through practical education programmes and community regeneration. A huge part of the charity’s work is to encourage the next generation to learn in and from nature, with gardening courses offered at The King’s Foundation headquarters, Dumfries House in Scotland, as well as managing the iconic gardens at Highgrove in Gloucestershire, the King’s private residence.