There will be 13 main show gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022, including gardens from Chelsea veterans such as Andy Sturgeon, Sarah Eberle, Juliet Sargeant, Chris Beardshaw and Paul Hervey-Brookes. There will be plenty of first-time show gardens too, including Grow2Know’s garden by Tayshan Hayden-Smith and Danny Clarke and a Rewilding Britain Landscape by Urquart & Hunt. Here’s what we know about the gardens so far.
Designers: Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Landscape Associates Chelsea history: First Chelsea Website: urquarthunt.com
Inspired by the ‘abundance, diversity and beauty that arises from the presence of what the once lost, now reintroduced, beaver brings to the British landscape. A naturally re-wilded landscape in south west England. A brook flows through a copse of hawthorn, hazel and field maple beside a winding West-Country stone wall. Dam and pool ‘created’ by beavers. Rivulets trickle through and into a riparian meadow where rejuvenating alders, goat and crack willow grow. There will be a timber walkway across a wetland meadow, with native wildflowers, grasses, marginal plants along the pool and stream edges.
Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station
Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station, Show Garden, designed by Howard Miller and Hugh Miller, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designers: Howard Miller and Hugh Miller Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: H Miller Bros Chelsea history: First Chelsea Website: hmillerbros.co.uk
A ‘woven landscape’ bringing together young and old, green and urban, play and learning, and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with its community. Its aim is to inspire children to live active, healthy, pleasurable lives and encouraging engagement with nature through foraging, sharing healthy food, play, relaxing together and being in the moment. The planting is inspired by species-rich hedgerows, orchard meadows and bog habitats.
Brewin Dolphin Garden
Brewin Dolphin Garden, Show Garden, designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Paul Hervey-Brookes Sponsor: Brewin Dolphin Contractor: Big Fish Landscapes Chelsea history: 2009 (Silver), 2010 (Silver Gilt), 2013 (Gold), 2014 (Bronze), 2018 (Gold), 2019 (Gold) Website: paulherveybrookes.com
The imagined metamorphosis of a former 1900s industrial site to show how brownfield land can be rehabilitated using existing and repurposed materials to establish a new environmentally aware landscape. “With thousands of new homes set to be built on brownfield sites over the coming years, this garden reflects the challenges of inheriting poor soil conditions,” says Paul. The planting is based on a mix of native pioneer species and endemic plants which rehabilitate polluted soils, with garden-worthy shrubs and perennials that require little maintenance or flower for long periods of time. The garden promotes trees, shrubs and other plants that collect carbon at higher rates and improve air quality and highlights a range of techniques all gardeners can adopt to make the planet more sustainable for tomorrow.
Hands Off Mangrove by Grow2Know
Designers: Tayshan Hayden-Smith and Danny Clarke Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: The Landscaping Consultants Chelsea history: First Chelsea Website: grow2know.org.uk
This garden unites the prominent issues of global deforestation and social injustice. A deforested mangrove sculpture at the centre acts as a stark remind of the impacts we are having on our ecosystems. It is inspired by the story of community activists the Mangrove Nine, who were acquitted of inviting a riot in 1970. In their honour, nine corten steel roots combine to form a protective sanctuary. The garden is designed to be relocated and includes pollinator-friendly, edible, ornamental and architectural plants suited to inner city landscapes. Through the centre, an upcycled crushed concrete path represents the challenges and threats of racism, poverty and violence in 19060s and 70s London.
Medite Smartply Building the Future
MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future, Show Garden, designed by Sarah Eberle, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Sarah Eberle Sponsor: MEDITE SMARTPLY Contractor: Landform Consultants Chelsea history: 2011 (Gold), 2015 (Gold and People’s Choice) 2016 (Gold), 2017 (Gold and Best in Show), 2019 (Gold), 2021 (Gold) Website: saraheberle.com
A forest edge garden with a feature building, constructed from Medite Smartply carbon-negative products, which is inspired by vertical rock strata and topped with a sloping green roof and waterfall which cascades down into a pool. The surrounding planting comprises damp-loving, rare and wild species of flora and many trees native to the forests of Southern Ireland, where Medite Smartply source their timber. The result is an informal, textural verdant landscape.
Morris & Co, Show Garden, designed by Ruth Willmott, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Ruth Willmott Sponsor: Morris & Co. Contractor: Garden Builders Chelsea history: 2017 (Silver-Gilt and Best Fresh Garden), 2015 (Silver-Gilt and Best Fresh Garden), 2013 (Gold), 2012 (Silver) Website: www.ruthwillmott.com
William Morris’s work was heavily influenced by flowers and gardens. This garden reimagines in garden form, two of Morris’s iconic patterns. ‘Trellis’ inspires the garden paths and layout, and ‘Willow Boughs’ is reflected in the design of the water channels and a pavilion with intricate metal screens. The planting includes a selection from his designs and other cottage garden favourites in a palette of earthy reds, apricots and blues. The garden’s legacy will be to ‘seed’ several new community gardens in Islington in collaboration with the Arc Centre Gardening Collective.
St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots Garden
St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots Garden by Cityscapes, Show Garden, designed by Cityscapes, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designers: Cityscapes – Darryl Moore and Adolfo Harrison Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Garden Link Chelsea history: First Chelsea Website:cityscapes.org.uk
An urban pocket park embodying the ethos of St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots programme, which helps people recovering from homelessness to grow their confidence and skills to rebuild their lives through gardening. It celebrates 10 years of Cityscapes collaborating with the programme to shape spaces, reuse materials and promote sustainability. It is shady and tranquil, informed by natural plant communities and featuring textural foliage with colourful floral accents. A pavilion offers respite from city life and large colourful planters add height and enclosure. The pocket park will be relocated to a permanent location in London Bridge after the show.
The Meta Garden: Growing the Future
The Meta Garden Growing the Future, Show Garden, designed by Joe Perkins, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Joe Perkins Sponsor: Meta Contractor: The Landscaping Consultants Chelsea history: 2019 (Gold, Best in Construction and Best in Category) Website: joeperkinsdesign.com
A garden designed to emphasise the inseparable connection of mycelium networks between plants and fungi within woodland ecosystems. A complex pavilion inspired by the interaction between mycorrhiza and the host tree’s roots and a naturalistic ‘future-proofed’ planting palette drawing on the British countryside make this garden an immersive experience. It reminds us of the urgent need to redress the balance of our relationship with the natural world. The garden will be relocated to the National Forest as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting campaign for the Platinum Jubilee.
The Mind Garden
The Mind Garden, Show Garden, designed by Andy Sturgeon, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Andy Sturgeon Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Crocus Chelsea history: 2001 (Silver Gilt), 2005 (Gold), 2006 (Gold), 2007 (Gold), 2008 (Gold), 2010 (Gold and Best in Show), 2012 (Gold), 2016 (Gold and Best in Show), 2019 (Gold and Best in Show) Website: andysturgeon.com
A garden that inspires us to connect with each other for our mental health. Sculptural rough-textured clay rendered walls swirl through the sloping garden. In places they enclose calm seating areas, frame views and create backdrops for the planting. Elsewhere the walls come close together forming narrow passages before opening out into wider spaces. The tactile walls are part of a biophilic design ethos encompassing exposure to woodland and meadows, natural materials and water. The garden is largely set among open woodland with generous swathes of colourful meadow planting at the woodland edge. “This is the first time I have been 100 per cent in control of the brief and I have designed a garden that really functions as a garden,” says Andy.
The New Blue Peter Garden – Discover Soil
The New Blue Peter Garden – Discover Soil designed by Juliet Sargeant, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Juliet Sargeant Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Gardenlink Chelsea history: 2016 (Gold and People’s Choice) Website: julietsargeant.com
In the BBC’s centenary year, this Blue Peter garden focusses on the crucial importance of soil, bringing it up to eye level for us to see, touch, smell and hear. To include soil-themed art, including ‘citizen art’ projects created by children and adults in Salford, a chance to listen to the sounds of a compost heap, and subterranean observation chamber to see what happens below ground. Vibrant orange and blue planting reflects the colours of Blue Peter. The garden will relocate to RHS Bridgewater after the show.
The Perennial Garden ‘With Love’
The Perennial Garden ‘With Love’, Show Garden, designed by Richard Miers, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Richard Miers Sponsor: Perennial Contractor: Stewart Landscapes Chelsea history: First Chelsea Website: richardmiers.com
A classic contemporary design with hornbeam hedging, central rill, and domes of yew and Prunus lusitanica. Eight flat-topped hawthorn trees provide structure, symmetry and repetition. It is inspired by the horticultural family of growers, designers, gardeners, landscapers and ground staff who are offered support and security by the Perennial charity. A predominantly green palette with touches of soft white and plum create a calming environment.
The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden
The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden, Show Garden, Designed by John Everiss, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: John Everiss Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Peter Gregory Landscapes and Designscape Chelsea history: 2014 (Gold) 2015 (Silver Gilt) 2016 (Silver Gilt and BBC People’s Choice) 2019 (D Day 75 Garden in the grounds of the hospital) Website: johneverissdesign.com
The statue of a young airman is enclosed by a spiral stone wall. Latticed steel panels emerge from the ground among rubble, as the rusted remains of conflict are slowly covered by beautiful planting.
The RNLI Garden
The RNLI Garden, Show Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Designer: Chris Beardshaw Sponsor: Project Giving Back Contractor: Chris Beardshaw Ltd Chelsea history: Chelsea history 1999 (Gold), 2005 (Bronze), 2006 (Gold and People’s Choice), 2007 (Silver Gilt and People’s Choice), 2012 (Gold), 2013 (Gold and People’s Choice), 2015 (Gold), 2016 (Gold), 2017 (Silver gilt and People’s Choice), 2018 (Gold and Best in Show), 2019 (Gold) Website: chrisbeardshaw.com
A celebration of the history and modernity of the RNLI, which is nearly 200 years old. The design combines hints of the organisation’s Georgian origins, with a classically inspired green oak pavilion at the rear, with contemporary design cues including a contemporary green oak arcade. The rich planting is in a pastel palette of whites, blues and pinks, with statement trees including Ulmus parvifolia and Pinus sylvestris, hinting at the traditional lifeboat building materials. “The whole colour scheme is influenced by those very hazy summer days on the coastline,” says Chris.
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