RHS Chelsea’s most decorated designer wins Garden of the Year 2026

Sarah Eberle has been awarded RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year for The Campaign to Protect Rural England: ‘On the Edge’

The result brings Sarah’s RHS Chelsea gold medal count to 14 and ‘Best In’ category wins to four, making her the most decorated garden designer in Chelsea history. She is one of only three women to have recieved the prestigious award.

Upon winning the award, Sarah, aged 71, said: “I am thrilled to bits to receive Garden of the Year.”

“I’m often told by the next generation of gardeners that I have inspired them, which, if nothing else, is the greatest gift of all. This garden’s mission is very personal to me. I am a country girl through and through so I embody the same message and beliefs that the Campaign to Protect Rural England and this garden holds.”

“I grew up on the edge of of a town. Nature being there on my doorstep really impacted me and made me the person I am today. I know how important those fringes of land are to people”, said Sarah.

The garden depicts the often overlooked countryside at the edge of towns and cities, vital green spaces that connect people to nature. By raising awareness of these ‘edgelands’, it is hoped they will recover and thrive for future generations.
The star feature of The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden is the carved figure representing Gaia, or Mother Nature, to embody nature’s resilience.

On designing the award-winning garden, Sarah said, “I love the fact I can express myself without the normal constraints. It’s taught me so much: How to build things, how to use my eyes and understand things. It’s created my career, in the sense that it’s made me a much better designer by allowing me to develop my skills in a way that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

The planting is naturalistic and textural, incorporating many UK native plants alongside plants rescued from fly-tipped garden waste.

Chris Bailes, Chair of the Judging Panel, said: “Sarah’s garden combines elements of myth and remarkable theatre. The planting speaks to an exceptionally rare sense of atmosphere, created through a clear connection to the urban and the countryside. Unexpected beauty is found in the concrete drain repurposed from an agricultural accessory into a mesmerising water feature using common duckweed. The garden achieves a beautiful, natural planting style that is difficult to accomplish, bringing wildness into a garden space with elegance and light touch.”

The garden will be relocated to Park Hill, Sheffield, a regenerated housing development, where it will be looked after and allowed to thrive.

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RHS Chelsea’s most decorated designer wins Garden of the Year 2026

Sarah Eberle, Winner of RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year 2026

The Campaign to Protect Rural England: ‘On the Edge’ Garden

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