Discover the popular Long Borders at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse, which provide an excellent opportunity for designers, community groups, horticultural students, or budding gardeners to create a planted border and be awarded an RHS medal. This category is a great first step into exhibiting at shows, a way to showcase creativity, inspire our visitors and share important messages.
A Taoist Vision designed by Bowen Xu
The theme of A Taoist Vision, inspired by Taoist values, celebrates the dynamic balance between yin and yang. Recycled logs mark the transition between the natural yin area – characterised by tall, flowing evergreen grasses – and the more controlled yang area with vibrant with blue and purple flowering plants. A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.
The design is a response to gardening for the future in a changing climate and gently blurs the boundaries between cultivated spaces and wild nature. Inviting reflection on the Taoist theme of how human order and natural spontaneity coexist and interchange. Seasonal shifts further underscore the ever-changing interplay of yin and yang: the yang energy of summer softens into yin hues in winter, while the steady yin transforms with bursts of yang vibrancy as the seasons change.
Trent View College: The Living Larder designed by Trent View College horticultural students
A ‘potager’ style garden, with a combination of vegetables and flowers. Key features of The Living Larder are the white flowers, purple vegetables, and green foliage, creating a striking visual impact through a carefully considered interplay of colour, texture, and structure.
The design was inspired by Trent View College’s Horticulture department and its mission to raise the profile of our learners, all of whom have additional needs. With the right scaffolding and support our learners can achieve success and independence. The combination of planting demonstrates how our differences can combine to create something beautiful whilst also showcasing that with a little bit of scaffolding we can create environments that allow everyone to flourish.
Making Waves designed by Daisy Bayliss and Moka Matsushima
The Making Waves border is inspired by the idea of activating brain waves with multi-sensory experiences. The border is composed into ripples or waves through the height and layout of the plants. The plants have been chosen based on their sensory contributions, through foliage, touch, scent, sound and year-round interest. When flowering, the planting produces a gradual change in colour from red to blue along the length of the border, with yellow scattered throughout.
The Chorley Council: Wild & Tended Garden designed by Stephanie Brookes-Taylor
Many people do not have access to acres of land to create their own A term generally applied to non-woody, flowering plants that are natural to a particular area and grow there without human assistance. More accurately, British wildflowers normally applies to UK natives including plants introduced into the wild before 1500.
Tea and Tranquillity: Harmonies in Green designed by Andy Bolton and Nick Islip
Inspired by a traditional Japanese Tea Garden, the design of Tea and Tranquillity: Harmonies in Green promotes calm and mindfulness through a symbolic journey. A ‘dewy path’ (roji) over stepping stones, passes through a bamboo gate and into the inner garden. Along the way lies a stone basin and lantern for ritual cleansing, and a Chiriana (dust pit) symbolising tidying and the release of worries. These features reflect the garden’s purpose of preparing visitors for the tea ceremony.
The planting scheme uses mainly evergreens and creates shaded areas with minimal flowers. Moss is replaced by low ground cover, and the path is bordered by hostas, ferns, grasses, and evergreen shrubs. A Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is also included. A variety of green tones, contrasting leaf shapes and rich textures provide seasonal interest while maintaining the calm, refined beauty and symbolism of a Japanese aesthetic.
The Moonlight Garden designed by Lauren Whalley and Louise Leyland
The Moonlight Garden is a tranquil and enchanting space designed to come alive after dusk, supporting night-time pollinators such as moths, bats, beetles and other nocturnal creatures. Pale flowers and silvery leaves glow under the moonlight while soft foliage and subtle scents create a calm and reflective atmosphere. Planting includes silvers, whites, soft purples and pinks sat amongst the swaying grasses with the centrepiece rising moon sculpture. The garden is inspired by the often-overlooked world of night-time pollinators that play a vital role in supporting biodiversity. Though designed for creatures of the night, the garden also offers a striking daytime display.
What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? Designed by Sally Holder and Victoria Irish
What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? is inspired by the concept of ‘Restorative Landscapes’, which promote experiences that are restorative to physical, social and mental wellbeing. It celebrates the natural Yorkshire landscapes and their sense of awe and wonder. Designed as a microcosm of wild space, the naturalistic composition seeks to mimic the atmosphere of flower-rich meadows and offers a moment of pause to slow down, stimulate our senses and connect with nature.
Plant selections echo the forms of traditional meadow species, including a textured mix of shrubs and Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Healing Horizons designed by Cornelia Gower and Sophie Howells
Healing Horizons is an impressionist-inspired ornamental raised bed, featuring a central, fragrant, warm-tone drystone wall implanted with sedums and a colourful drought-tolerant planting scheme. The inspiration is access to nature and the health and social benefits green spaces bring, specifically in regard to the effect that natural environments have in the urban context. Impressionism is a key theme due to its emotive portrayal of the value of the natural world and its pioneering representation of transitional light, scale and texture. Also, impressionism originated during the time of significant rural-urban shift and industrialisation, where our separation from nature was starting to be felt.
The Burning Truth designed by Angharadd Jones, Emma Barnard and Kassim Adedapo Adegoke
The Burning Truth border is inspired by the overwhelming force of wildfires, their sheer size, unrelenting speed and the devastation they leave behind. The intense reds, oranges, and blacks in the planting create an immediate impact and mirror the raw devastation of wildfires. The scorched wood and ash-like plants are stark reminders of the reality of climate change. Yet the swirling grasses and soft, white tones of renewal bring a sense of hope emerges. This border is about loss but also resilience, the possibility of change, and the strength of communities coming together to rebuild and protect the future.
Vertigrow: Symbiotic Flow designed by Deb Strachan and Alison Walker
The Vertigrow: Symbiotic Flow border is inspired by St Leonard’s Hospice in York, where it will be relocated after the show. The design highlights how people and nature can nurture each other for their mutual benefit by inviting a deeper connection with the natural world, fostering wildlife, encouraging sustainability and encouraging a sense of peace and wellbeing for visitors.
A dynamic wave of grasses and perennials evoke a sense of movement and serenity with grasses of different heights to add depth and textural contrast. Perennials of mostly muted colours bring a feeling of restfulness, and their contrasting forms compliment the fluidity of the grasses. Together they support pollinators and provide a habitat for wildlife.
The native birch tree adds interest with its distinctive Bark is the outermost layer of woody plants (trees, shrubs and woody climbers). It is several cells thick and provides protection against physical damage, disease and environmental stresses. Bark comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, and these can help gardeners when identifying plants. The fissures and crevices of bark on older plants also creates valuable habitat for many garden creatures as well as lichens and small plants.
The National Garden Scheme: Hotter Summers, Cooler Colours designed by Lydia Weston-Foss
Traditionally, when we imagine hot borders, we imagine hot colours and plants found in more arid or tropical environments. This doesn't need to be the case. We can still have the English country garden feel and colour palette that can cope with a changing climate and doesn't lose the romantic feel. This is what a visitor can expect to see.
The National Garden Scheme: Hotter Summers, Cooler Colours garden shows how hot border planting can be achieved in an English country theme. Arts & Crafts gardens such as Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and Hidcote Manor serve as inspiration. The use of perennials, specifically salvias are in keeping with the traditional colour palette of the English country garden. This aesthetic is combined with the intention to withstand the changing climate and particularly hotter drier summers.
Key features include topiary spheres, Taxus baccata (English yew) a more robust plant than Buxus and one that is a classic feature in larger Arts & Crafts gardens across the country. The driftwood pieces are a symbolic representation of the drying climate, an impactful, focal feature for the border. A small amount of visible soil in the planting scheme allows for a sense of breathability without compromising the overall design.
Buglife: Habitat Mosaic designed by Sebastian Stall
Habitat Mosaic is designed to showcase the often-overlooked but incredibly beneficial ecological principles found in brownfield environments – spaces typically dismissed, yet rich in biodiversity. These sites naturally develop what’s known as open mosaic habitats – a patchwork of textures, materials, planting, and conditions. From sun-warmed rubble and areas of bare ground perfect for nesting invertebrates, to shaded pockets beneath tree canopies, weathered industrial remnants, and wild planting zones, they offer a range of microhabitats that support an extraordinary variety of insects, birds, and other wildlife.
The border is made up of a tapestry of textures and microhabitats – crushed brick, recycled concrete, sand, and gentle shifts in topography – echoing the layered complexity of post-industrial landscapes. Drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly planting flows throughout, from wildflowers and resilient perennials to soft grasses that bring texture and movement. A sculptural digger bucket, repurposed as a water feature, adds visual impact and a vital source of hydration for wildlife.
Old steel piping offers shelter and hibernation opportunities, while the overall layout forms a rich The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems.
The Discovery Outdoors ‘Edimental Kitchen Classroom’ designed by Sam Penrose and Jojo Tarvet
The Discovery Outdoors ‘Edimental Kitchen Classroom’ nurtures a connection to the food growing process, while challenging the aesthetics of what an edible bed should look like – encouraging hands-on education and exploratory interest for school children. Ornamental and naturalistic planting with varied textural and architectural qualities sees edible planting merge functionality and beauty. Built elements recreate an outdoor classroom environment, with vertical surfaces and a food prep table which appears to float above the plants. The border is a collaboration with Sheffield based social enterprise Discovery Outdoors, and will be relocated to a local primary school after the show.
York Gin Botanical Border designed by Camilla Grayley
The York Gin Botanical Border has been inspired by the botanicals used in York Gin and those grown around York Minster. Key features include two junipers and a sculpture, which weaves its way through the planting, showing the journey from juniper to still. With small trees, flowers, fruit and herbs, the border provides inspiration for what can be achieved in a small space.
The Grant Horticulture Xeriscape Garden designed by Callum Bain-Mackay
Inspired by the sun-baked Garrigues of southern France, the landscapes of the wider Mediterranean, and areas closer to home with more temperate climates such as the Isle of Wight, Scilly Isles and Cornwall, The Grant Horticulture Xeriscape Garden is an exploration of futureproof planting. Xeriscaping is the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation, and as temperatures continue to rise and water becomes more precious a resource, the types of plants we use in our borders in the future will need to be more adaptable and resilient.
Head In The Clouds designed by Liz Broadbent and Tom Orton
Proving that tranquillity can be created in even the smallest of borders with a bit of thoughtful planting, colour and design, Head In The Clouds encourages mindfulness and quiet reflection. Central to the design are a series of shallow, still reflective pools that echo the sky and clouds above, symbolising self-reflection and inviting inner calm. The planting features a calming palette of whites, silvers, and soft blues to echo the sky and promote tranquillity.
The Calm at the Centre designed by Skye Bond
The Calm at the Centre uses empty space as a focal point, challenging the idea of what the eye is – or should be – drawn to in a garden. Two dynamic plantings, both with strong palettes of purples, reds, copper and steely blue, surround a serene, clear centre. A pair of decorative steel water tanks, planted with aquatic species, ground the design and create the negative focal space between, while structural plants provide strong architectural form, which softens towards the border’s edge.
Safe Haven designed by Pip Probert
Safe Haven is inspired by the ‘butterfly gardens’ jointly created by a number of children’s charities for families suffering unimaginable loss. Designed as a pocket of calm amid the surrounding hustle and bustle, the space not only soothes the soul but also provides for pollinators, specifically butterflies, numbers of which are in worrying decline. A simple sleeper bench, with bark Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.
