Chelsea Flower Show has long been known as the event which leads the world of gardening. 2024’s edition, held in the heart of London and spotlighting some of the world’s most accomplished gardens, is no different.
Euronews Culture was in attendance to get to the bottom of the top trends in gardening for the year ahead - here’s what we found out.
Sustainability is the word of the day
Sustainability is on all of our minds these days so it’s not surprising that it was everywhere at Chelsea.
Year on year, the RHS puts more focus on sustainable garden practices and, this year, all gardens were audited to determine their effect on the environment. That’s not all - for the first time, all gardens must be relocated or repurposed after the show closes its doors.
In the gold medal-winning World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden, designed by Giulio Giorgi, the focal point is on 3D-printed terracotta blocks which act as raised beds.
They’re all able to fit together like blocks of Lego - meaning that they don’t require unsustainable concrete or chemical glues. The garden’s paths are also paved with bricks left over from the raised beds.
Sustainable planting was everywhere too. With much of Europe experiencing wetter winters and warmer summers, designers are increasingly focused on how to build gardens which will work in the future as climates change.
In John Warland and Emma O'Connell’s Freedom From Torture Garden, the designers used survivors of the plant world, including those that are drought tolerant and others which have adapted to low fertility soils.
If you want to futureproof your own garden, you could do worse than to take inspiration from that garden.
Tough evergreens like Cistus and Atriplex halimus work well, alongside self-seeders like Nigella - otherwise known as Love In the Mist - and Breadseed Poppy, which thrive in dry gardens.
Water-harvesting gardens fight back against climate change
Flooding is an issue affecting much of northern Europe. Enter: Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden, designed by Naomi Slade & Dr Ed Barsley.
The silver award-winning Sanctuary Gardens highlights the danger of flooding due to the climate crisis, featuring concentrated planting which slows the flow of water and captures it for later use.
Tom Massey and Je Ahn’s much-lauded WaterAid Garden is home to a standout sculpture which is not just striking but also serves a useful purpose: it’s able to funnell rainwater into underground tanks.
It was just one example that shows that unsightly water butts aren’t the only way to conserve water today.
Instead, water tanks, rain chains and small water reservoirs took pride of place in many of the gardens - all perfectly accessible for those of us who don’t have space for sculptures.
Eat your greens directly from your garden
Traditionally, vegetable patches have been hidden away from flower beds, thought of as too unattractive to display alongside florals.
However, this year’s Chelsea showed that, with some planning, today’s vegetable gardens can be equally as beautiful as flower patches.
Chris Hull and Sid Hill’s Microbiome Garden features an entirely edible meadow, which plays host to plants including Camissia and Lupins which are both nutritious and delicious.
Will Dutch and Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen were awarded a Silver-Gilt medal for their Pulp Friction garden. One of the standouts was an edible hedge of beans - inspiring viewers to see that something practical can also be attractive.
Take a restorative trip to the forest via your garden
This year, the one thing every visitor to Chelsea commented on was the dappled light throughout.
The reason? Forest gardens. They were far and away the most popular garden style at this year’s event, putting on display a mix of perennials from low-lying groundcovers and shrubs to climbers and trees.
Forest gardens are known to mimic a diverse forest ecosystem. In them, each species is mutually beneficial to another - meaning they’re likely to be more long-living than other kinds of gardens.
The use of perennials means that these gardens tend to require less maintenance and are therefore less hard on the environment.
Forests are also scientifically proven to help us unwind from our increasingly busy lives, while connecting with nature.
Ula Maria, who won Best in Show this year for her Forest Bathing garden, took it one step further.
Inspired by Shinrin-yoku, the ancient Japanese practice of forest bathing, the garden put a focus on the benefits of the act, increasing mental wellbeing and mindfulness while being in woodland.
Outside of trees, flowers were typically understated, with lots of white tones - but the top flower overall? Irises. Coming in shades ranging from subtle violets and whites to fiery yellows and oranges, these blooms stand taller than the majority of other flowers.
They’re not just attractive either. They’re known to be pretty hardy and can withstand a variety of conditions from partial shade to full sun. Make sure you get to know your iris before planting them, though - while many are drought tolerant, others - think the Japanese variety - need moisture to thrive.
