7 Trends From the UK's 2019 RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Looking for garden inspiration? Discover top trends for 2019 from The Royal Horticultural Society's UK flower show
Victoria Harrison
27 May 2019
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
Woodland planting, green roofs and cow parsley were some of the standout trends at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Read on to see which other design and planting ideas might be finding their way into your garden soon.
1. Wild planting
Forget close-cropped grass and neatly clipped box – wild planting was the order of the day at Chelsea. From naturalistic hedging to ‘wild’ lawns dotted with buttercups and long grass spilling onto paving, as seen here in The Welcome to Yorkshire Garden by Mark Gregory, there was a joyful element of untamed nature creeping into many of the show gardens. It’s the perfect excuse to give your lawnmower a rest and allow some wildlife-friendly plants to flourish.
Forget close-cropped grass and neatly clipped box – wild planting was the order of the day at Chelsea. From naturalistic hedging to ‘wild’ lawns dotted with buttercups and long grass spilling onto paving, as seen here in The Welcome to Yorkshire Garden by Mark Gregory, there was a joyful element of untamed nature creeping into many of the show gardens. It’s the perfect excuse to give your lawnmower a rest and allow some wildlife-friendly plants to flourish.
2. Woodland-style gardens
The most prominent example of woodland gardening was The RHS Back to Nature Garden (pictured), co-designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and landscape architects Davies White.
Described as a “woodland wilderness”, it featured trees, underplanting, a woodland stream, a campfire and even a hollow log for young visitors to clamber inside.
This emphasis on woodland-style planting was echoed in many of the other gardens at the show, too, with The M&G Garden by Andy Sturgeon representing a woodland landscape, and The Savills and David Harber Garden by Andrew Duff featuring a woodland clearing around a still pool of water.
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The most prominent example of woodland gardening was The RHS Back to Nature Garden (pictured), co-designed by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and landscape architects Davies White.
Described as a “woodland wilderness”, it featured trees, underplanting, a woodland stream, a campfire and even a hollow log for young visitors to clamber inside.
This emphasis on woodland-style planting was echoed in many of the other gardens at the show, too, with The M&G Garden by Andy Sturgeon representing a woodland landscape, and The Savills and David Harber Garden by Andrew Duff featuring a woodland clearing around a still pool of water.
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3. Encouraging children to get outdoors
Along with The RHS Back to Nature Garden, other exhibits and designs at the show focused on encouraging children to interact with nature and get outdoors.
The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden by Jody Lidgard (pictured) was a wonderful example of a garden designed with youngsters in mind, from the brightly coloured metal shed structure to the walls of edibles and fruit bushes designed to introduce children to growing and foraging for their own food.
Along with The RHS Back to Nature Garden, other exhibits and designs at the show focused on encouraging children to interact with nature and get outdoors.
The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden by Jody Lidgard (pictured) was a wonderful example of a garden designed with youngsters in mind, from the brightly coloured metal shed structure to the walls of edibles and fruit bushes designed to introduce children to growing and foraging for their own food.
4. Cow parsley
Following on from the wild planting theme, there was a frothy profusion of cow parsley all around the showgrounds this year, as well as a spotlight on umbellifers, a genus of aromatic herbs and vegetables, in general.
Jo Thompson softened the edges of her Wedgwood Garden with white clouds of cow parsley; Mark Gregory dotted it through the wild borders of his Welcome to Yorkshire Garden, while The Savills and David Harber Garden (pictured) featured large stems of it around the edge of the naturalistic woodland clearing.
Umbellifers in different forms and soft shades of peach and pink even made an appearance in the plant tent.
Following on from the wild planting theme, there was a frothy profusion of cow parsley all around the showgrounds this year, as well as a spotlight on umbellifers, a genus of aromatic herbs and vegetables, in general.
Jo Thompson softened the edges of her Wedgwood Garden with white clouds of cow parsley; Mark Gregory dotted it through the wild borders of his Welcome to Yorkshire Garden, while The Savills and David Harber Garden (pictured) featured large stems of it around the edge of the naturalistic woodland clearing.
Umbellifers in different forms and soft shades of peach and pink even made an appearance in the plant tent.
5. Green roofs
Green roofs were in evidence, too. The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden (pictured) made the most of every inch of planting space, including along the roof of the shipping container ‘classroom’ and even up walls to create the effect of a lush cocoon of greenery.
The Silent Pool Gin Garden by David Neale, meanwhile, featured a metal canopy that was softened with rooftop planting around the edges.
Browse more inspiring ideas for gardens
Green roofs were in evidence, too. The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden (pictured) made the most of every inch of planting space, including along the roof of the shipping container ‘classroom’ and even up walls to create the effect of a lush cocoon of greenery.
The Silent Pool Gin Garden by David Neale, meanwhile, featured a metal canopy that was softened with rooftop planting around the edges.
Browse more inspiring ideas for gardens
6. Using gardens to regenerate the landscape
The power of nature to rebuild and heal damaged landscapes was an interesting idea explored by several of the garden designers.
The Resilience Garden by Sarah Eberle (pictured) explored how our woodlands can be made resilient in a changing climate, while The M&G Garden set out to ‘celebrate the beauty of nature’s extraordinary power to regenerate’ by focusing on new species able to thrive in a British climate.
Over in the Artisan garden section, Walker’s Forgotten Quarry Garden explored the idea of an abandoned industrial landscape that was being reclaimed and restored by nature.
The power of nature to rebuild and heal damaged landscapes was an interesting idea explored by several of the garden designers.
The Resilience Garden by Sarah Eberle (pictured) explored how our woodlands can be made resilient in a changing climate, while The M&G Garden set out to ‘celebrate the beauty of nature’s extraordinary power to regenerate’ by focusing on new species able to thrive in a British climate.
Over in the Artisan garden section, Walker’s Forgotten Quarry Garden explored the idea of an abandoned industrial landscape that was being reclaimed and restored by nature.
7. Copper and brass
Warm metals, such as copper and brass, made their way out of the kitchen and into the garden this year in the form of furniture and garden structures. Several gardens featured high-shine metals more usually associated with interiors, such as the brass structure in Chris Beardshaw’s Morgan Stanley Garden (pictured).
These warm tones were also reflected in the planting, with copper- and amber-coloured flowers winding their way through several gardens.
Tell us
Which of these ideas is your favourite? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
Warm metals, such as copper and brass, made their way out of the kitchen and into the garden this year in the form of furniture and garden structures. Several gardens featured high-shine metals more usually associated with interiors, such as the brass structure in Chris Beardshaw’s Morgan Stanley Garden (pictured).
These warm tones were also reflected in the planting, with copper- and amber-coloured flowers winding their way through several gardens.
Tell us
Which of these ideas is your favourite? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images and join the conversation.
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I hold the Chelsea flower show responsible for both inspiring me and making me skint at the same time!
Not a fan of the 'hot pink' for the frames or the kidz' space... Could one not use a colour more in harmony with natural surroundings... Well, as 'natural' as you get at the CFS 'set up'. The rest are lovely. Like the trend back to more natural gardens which encourage biodiversity...
Would love to go there but a few years back ticket touts were selling tickets for £100. Were these cheaper? Or 'pay this price cos there's nothing else available' tickets? I declined...
wildlife and naturalistic gardens are my favorite because of the birds, bees, butterflies, etc that come visit and make a garden come alive.