UK: RHS Chelsea Flower Show to return in 2026

Returning to the Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds on 19-23 May 2026, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will debut a full lineup of gardens, plants and inspiration for gardeners across the globe. Garden designers will connect to charitable and cultural causes, curating a set of gardens.

The 13 gardens announced by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) highlight themes of improving biodiversity in urban spaces and welcoming local wildlife through carefully selected pollinator-friendly plants; gardens that build calming, sensitive spaces through the use of symbolic planting and structures to create resilience and finally the incorporation of iconic and historical British structures that will contrast with several gardens adopting Japanese gardening ideologies into their designs.

Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Shows, said: "This year our amazing RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens demonstrate the transformative benefits of gardens and gardening. They take a re-energised and uplifting approach to creating special places that highlight hope and resilience and where everyone can feel the restorative power of plants and wildlife. There is a focus on individual empowerment and personal choice to benefit nature and our world and a host of inspirational gardening ideas to ignite the excitement of all those who love gardening."

© RHSThe King in the Great Pavilion admiring the Raymond Evison Clematis stand at the 2025 show

Celebrating hope and the power of young adults building brighter and more positive futures is The Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis. A pioneering solar powered structure will provide shelter to young people developing practical skills in horticulture and green industries. Planting reflects the setting of Morecombe Bay with salt-tolerant plants embodying the Eden Project's mission to inspire positive action for the planet. Also looking to nurture young people is The Children's Society Garden by Patrick Clarke. The garden hopes to regenerate optimism in a younger generation, with the design drawing inspiration from the Japanese concept of 'wabi-sabi' - the recrafting of discarded materials to create a garden where both teenagers and plants can develop a resilient network.

Set in a nostalgic Japanese courtyard, the Tokonoma Garden – Samumaya no Niwa, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara and Paul Noritaka Tange, is a seasonally inspired garden that invites visitors to reflect, connect, and appreciate traditional beauty. The Garden is designed to evoke the view from a small tea room and celebrates harmony, family bonds, and community spirit.

Presenting exciting elements from the upcoming Clore Garden at Tate Britain, The Tate Britain Garden by Tom Stuart-Smith presents a bold vision of how art, nature and community interact. Offering a sneak preview of the garden ahead of its Autumn 2026 opening, the museum garden will provide an inviting new green space for Londoners to be inspired by art amidst a biodiverse haven of plants.

RHS Chelsea will be celebrating further British landmarks with The Boodles Garden by Catherine MacDonald, inspired by much-loved features found within the four Historic Royal Palaces, including The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. The garden reflects a popular romantic, gardenesque style of planting, using cultivated species with a strong emphasis on 'jewel' colours.

Arit Anderson returns as a designer to RHS Chelsea Flower Show with the Parkinson's UK – A Garden for Every Parkinson's Journey. A place of harmony for those living with and assisting those with Parkinson's. The garden features joyful, jewel-toned perennials and annuals to uplift and energise. Similarly highlighting those living with chronic illnesses, the Asthma + Lung UK Breathing Space Garden by Angus Thompson is set on a tranquil woodland edge and will provide a supporting 'breathing space' to recover and reconnect. Pine trees, known for their natural antioxidant and immune-boosting qualities, anchor a sheltered space for breath-supporting therapies. The Lady Garden Foundation 'Silent No More' Garden by Darren Hawkes is honouring those diagnosed with one of five gynaecological cancers. Designed to encourage conversations and promote discussion around women's cancers, a meandering path will guide visitors through richly planted borders containing shifting tones of colour weaving between five sculptures.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England: On the Edge designed by RHS Chelsea veteran Sarah Eberle, shines a light on the overlooked countryside at the edge of our towns and cities. Set on undeveloped land looked after by a community on the urban fringe, the garden showcases nature's resilience with a fallen mature tree that still supports life and highlights the importance of 'edgelands' connecting people to nature. Linking gardens with urban living is the Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City garden by Joe and Laura Carey. Pocket-sized oases stitch cities together and London's status as the first National Park City serve as a base for the garden. Homage is paid to London's oyster trade though the garden's structure and form.

Using the idea of 'making more from less' The Killik & Co. 'A Seed In Time' Garden by Baz Grainger delivers a modern and resilient garden that incorporates heritage crafts encouraging sustainability and wildlife into gardens to maximise long-term enjoyment. The garden captures rainwater, supports biodiversity, and responds sensitively to climate unpredictability.

Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth by Max Parker-Smith inspires us to imagine an epic Australian train journey across the outback, linking Adelaide and Perth. One half of the garden will recreate the Western Australian outback and the other will reflect the National Park City of Adelaide's green urban vision.

Tackling issues of hunger and the positive impact of food banks, Trussell's Together Garden by Rob Hardy is inspired by people coming together to help those on low incomes. The theme of 'togetherness is expressed through intersecting paths and bright, colourful planting. The pea family (Fabaceae) will be used for their ability to enrich the soil and support others, reflecting compassion and solidarity.

Project Giving Back, the unique grant-giving charity that supports gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea, is once again supporting several of this year's Show Gardens.