The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show began in 1913 continuing after the two world wars as a place of “educational benefit”. Today, amongst land-based practitioners, the show is controversial in its clear wastefulness, yet holds importance in offering a space to showcase alternative gardening methods - particularly to the majority higher class folk attending the show.

In this post I will be looking critically at some of the gardens exhibited in 2022. While I appreciate the care that goes into the building of these events, and the outreach that they can have - especially with media coverage - they are still temporary strutcures that feel hypocritical and antithetical to the cause of establishing gardening as a plight for mental and environmental wellbeing. It seems that the majority are being relocated so that they can continue to be enjoyed, and without all the destructive waste that usually ensues (which is a shame for community gardens), but it is still a hefty price tag to attend for what is essentially a garden centre.

Use of space.

The Potting Balcony Garden: Designed by William Murray. Built by Big Fish Landscapes/It Will Grow.

First off I appreciate this one for its stylised storage and pops of colour. It would be enjoyable to work in. I can appreciate the difficulty in sowing and propogating with only a balcony as your outside space, so this makes it useful as a workspace and as a garden. And the stationery trellis adds a touch more functionality as a tool workstation. I particularly love the hanging trio of troughs utilising a colourful webbing strap - could be a straightforward DIY project. The glasshouse/cold frame affair is also particularly pleasing, though looks pricey. Apparently this garden uses smart technology to nurture micro-greens and seedlings, so this must be within the black box, but do feel that this is a large balcony and so if there’s room for all this, then you must have a spacious kitchen too.

The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden: Designed by Jamie Butterworth. Built by Form Plants with Onn The Ground Ltd.

With this one it looked to have intriguing winding paths and appropriate sit-spots in smooth wood and cold stone that would indeed offer a safe space where children and adults could take time to relax and talk as they suggest. What’s lovely with the Place2Be garden is that it was developed in close consultation with pupils from Viking Primary School in West London, where it will be relocated after the show. It really has been designed with attention to calming features - Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity providing support and training to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff - and what’s particularly nice to me about this space is that it can be easily adapted to seasons and classes.

The Mind Garden. Designed by Andy Sturgeon. Built by Crocus.

The Mind Garden simply looks like an inviting place to sit. Though it seems that some of the walls are there as only walls, rather than a spot to rest against, it does feel like it has many pockets that could serve depending on the light of the day. The clay-rendered walls are inspired by nature, with a biophilic design that encompasses the tactility of woodland, meadows, wood and water. They also have water gently pouring into tranquil pools - hopefully in a cycle that also waters the plants, seeing as it is woodland meadow inspired. After the show, the garden will be transported to a local Mind in England, that provides eco-therapy for people with mental health problems.

Images: top two = The Potting Balcony Garden / middle two = The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden / bottom two = The Mind Garden.

Systems change.

Rewilding Britain Landscape: Designed by Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt. Built by Landscape Associates. Sponsored by Rewilding Britain and Project Giving Back.

This garden showcased how a South West England landscape - even a small one - could look like after the reintroduction of a native, keystone species – the beaver. They have integrated elements from the West Country, including a stone wall, timber walkway inspired by the Neolithic Sweet Track from the Somerset Levels, and native wildflowers. The pool is the key feature, showing how it would be dammed by beavers and evidence of their workmanship, with a viewing hide that sits invisibly. Trees are native and hardy, and functionally useful as well as aesthetically pleasing, including hawthown, hazel, field maple and alder. It looks managed by people, but left to its own devices - and the beavers - it would be a calming yet resilient spot mimicking actual nature, rather than a garden. So they pulled it off in such a small space to highlight what rewilding Britain could look like and offer.

Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station: Designed by Howard Miller and Hugh Miller. Built by H Miller Bros. Sponsored by Alder Hey Children's Charity and Project Giving Back.

What struck me first off with the Urban Foraging Station garden, is the holey concrete. A clear urban identifier, and one usually full of weeds, but here used structurally. They call them ‘precast concrete strands’ and describe them as invoking a picnic blanket of edible herbs. It’s all well and good designing a space to be prim, or utilising only the nicest of woods, but urban gardens often require low maintenance and low cost inputs, and sometimes you are using temporary land. So this garden plays on the ability to transform a space even fleetingly, particularly extenuated by the foraging cabinet. This reminds me of a ferment trolley showcased at the Food: Bigger Than The Plate exhibition and can quite easily be updated to suit the changing edible landscape across urban gardens.

Otherwise, they’ve designed the planting to showcase human-made edible landscapes that are easily damaged through limited knowledge on how to maintain them, for instance, hedgerow and orchard meadows. The overall pop-up vibe feels useful and engaging.

A Textile Garden: Designed by Lottie Delamain. Built by Gardenlink. Sponsored by Fashion Revolution and Project Giving Back.

For someone who works - or attempts to educate on - the junction of food-fibre systems, it was exciting to see that there would be a textile-focussed exhibit at Chelsea, especially as it’s been so many years since my MA course exhibited there; despite working with plants, I wasn’t shown, but colleague Thalia Warren showcased work with natural indigo, and Liz Spencer (founder of the marvellous Dogwood Dyer in the US) must’ve shown - but I can’t remember what. It was all a bit of a blur that whole time, shamefully.

However, I have to be frank and say I’m unsure about the planting here. In the first images that were shared, all I could see were chive flowers - the usual sour cream companion, and the Allium giganteum plant. I’m not an experienced dyer, nor scientific in my methods, but I have never come across chives as a dye plant before. Maybe you could use the stems for fibre in a straw sense, but they’re not a cellulose. Similarly, irises were centre stage, and yet you can only use the bulbs here and subsequently they need pulling up for use (though, again, you could use the leaves as you would Norwegian flax).

Considering all Chelsea exhibts are manouevered into place, and are seasonal, there are of course plants that couldn’t be shown, for instance, flax (Linum usitatissimum) simply wouldn’t be established enough. Not seeing the exhibit in person means I’m glimpsing snippets of the garden, and as yet, I haven’t asked designer Lottie why the chives were there, or even the full plant list. As a conversation starter, it works. And they won the Silver Gilt medal. But as a functional, actual real-life textile garden, I feel it misses the mark.

*After the show, Lottie published the full planting list in a beautiful guide (guess it was handed in paper form to visitors). It shows here that the ornamental alliums were used for the skins to create browns - here I would suggest that in fact the stems would be more suitable as a light basketry material as growing them purely for the skins seems silly - better that they self seed and propogate rather than being pulled up. The irises are split into rhizome use and petal use, which offers clarity, yet again, pulling up for the rhizomes seems counter-intuitive (these and alliums are perennial so will continually come back). It turns out that flax was present, in two varieties. Find the plant colour guide here.

But what would I plant? I guess this is something I have ideas of, but need to educate myself on to understand the seasonality, the symbiosis, the scale. I’m now working towards a Level 2 in Forest Gardening where dye and fibre plants can succeed, and in the permaculture garden I work in I am establishing dye and fibre areas, and yet I simply wouldn’t plant chives. If you want purple, which is not a colourfast pigment anyway, have some brambles (blackberries) or hollyhocks in pots.

The Core Arts Front Garden Revolution. Designed by Andy Smith-Williams. Built by Conquest Creative Spaces. Sponsored by Core Arts and Project Giving Back.

This has got to be the more sympathetic of the gardens exhibited. Designed for urban spaces, this shows two households having removed the boundary between their front gardens to create a larger, more open and welcoming space both for gardening and for socialising. It champions easy planting, such as native hedging, flowering fruit trees, “interesting perennials”, evergreen grasses and wildflowers, all of which fit in nooks around the space, including in the permeable ground (not like the hard landscaping seen by The Rain Garden below). They also feature a water collection system that will overflow in heavy rainfall into a planted packed with moisture-loving plants.

Core Arts’ is a creative mental health education centre, with the mission to support people experiencing mental health difficulties by promoting social inclusion and reconnecting individuals with their communities. Core Landscapes is the gardening arm that transforms so-called meanwhile spaces into community-engaging, biodiversity-rich, resilient food havens, and are currently based in Homerton in East London.

Images: first row top left = Rewilding Britain Landscape / first row top right = Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station / second row = A Textile Garden / bottom row = The Core Arts Front Garden Revolution.

Structures.

Plantman’s Ice Garden: Designed by John Warland. Built by The Plantman & Co. Sponsored by The Plantman & Co.

Another conversation starter, the Plantman’s Ice Garden explains that, “Since 1994, 28 trillion tonnes of ice have disappeared from the surface of the planet and all-summer ice is scheduled to disappear within the next 20 years. This permafrost holds around 1.5 million trillion tonnes of carbon.” Along with melting permafrost offering an immediate threat to rising waters, increased rainfall and rising temperatures, it’s also uncovering the historic botany trapped within.

In 2012, Russian scientists discovered and successfully germinated a cache of Silene stenophylla seeds, thought to have been buried more than 30,000 years ago. It is hoped that this dormant seedbank might hold the genetic code to help develop sustainable crops, medicine and biofuel adapted to climate change.

My first concern, of course, was the energy involved in creating a giant ice cube. Yet, this was my concern when I visited the ice fairytale realm at Winter Wonderland, and still I was happy to go on the frozen slide. I guess this cube was left to melt throughout the show, as a further representation of the issue at hand, unlike the wintery room in Hyde Park? It is beautiful that they have flowers encased in ice, something that aesthetically sings to me due to my own fascination with preserving dried flowers (in materials including PVC). I wonder if this is in fact more intensive than the effort that goes into cultivating and shipping mature trees? Probably not.

Meta Garden. Designed by Joe Perkins. Built by The Landscaping Consultants. Sponsored by Meta.

So, an architectural wooden pavilion that would provide some cover and dappled light, designed to evoke the interaction between a host tree’s roots and the mycorrhizal network below. But it looks like a honeycomb? If you’ve never studied fungi, wouldn’t you assume this was exploring the necessity of bees? The seating area under the structure is sunken so that you have a more immersive experience in your garden surroundings, with a woody edge and what Chelsea described as a stylised meadow; it’s supposed to highlight the “complex mycelium networks that connect and support woodland life”, along with highlighting “the beauty of timber” in educating on the critical role of forest management in the fight against climate change.

All I see is a talking point for one neighbour to another, without any practical action. If you want to highlight the role of mycelium networks, then show some mushroom logs or bags that will explain the system. Mycorrhizal networks aren’t visible to us, and yes, we are now understanding that bountiful trees are the outcome of strong symbiotic relationships, but the spores (if not, the fruit) need to be seen, really, to get to grips with this new information. A pavilion made from supposed sustainable timber doesn’t do anything to highlight the plight of minimising soil disturbance and maintaining strong root systems, because the tree has been cut down. It’s ok though, as “the garden will be relocated to The National Forest following the show, as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting campaign for the Platinum Jubilee”.

Connected by EXANTE. Designed by Taina Suonio. Built by Nicholsons. Sponsored by Exante (Xnt) Ltd.

As a space to escape to, that offers shelter and tranquillity, the Connected by EXANTE garden does the trick. It fits within the environment - which could be anywhere where foliage grows, so is nice for commerciality or simple inspiration for your own space, and that’s good because post-show the entire garden was relocated to University College London Hospital (the structure on its own maybe wouldn’t have the same vibe). It provides a sanctuary nook to work and rest in. It’s not necessarily trying to be provocative or big picture, and so as a straightforward garden design, this is pleasing.

The Body Shop Garden. Designed by Jennifer Hirsch. Built by Howard Day. Sponsored by The Body Shop.

Interesting concept, taking the garden user from a “state of burnout to wellbeing”, in comment about environmental and social regeneration. It aims to provide a positive message - that “if we take the time to nurture ourselves and our environment, life can thrive”. I can’t imagine anyone designing this for their own space, but as part of a museum garden then perhaps it could work. Especially with the steel frames that work so well in large spaces, the burnished colouring against vibrant green or dying beige planting. As a structure on its own, I love these arches and would happily have them in my own space. To create a place of wellbeing though, it feels antithetical to what we reach to for comfort, with very little offered by way of beneficial planting (like food, meadows).

The Stitchers’ Garden. Designed by Frederic Whyte. Built by Champain Landscapes and Brampton Willows. Sponsored by Fine Cell Work.

Another simple structure that could be replicated in different garden space, The Stitchers’ Garden celebrates Fine Cell Work , a charity teaching prisoners needlework. However, the steel structure, with woven willow panels, is built to the dimensions of a prisoner’s space, so exploring the limitations and yet creative freedom prisoners on this program are offered. Though needlework is “a skill that nurtures [a prisoner’s] self-worth and encourages them to lead independent and crime-free lives upon release, would they be given the freedom and respect to explore what is clearly a garden designed for a particular location, and so, the exhibit is solely for the visitor rather than the muse.

Images: top left and middle = Plantman’s Ice Garden / top right = Meta Garden / bottom left = Connected by EXANTE / bottom middle = The Body Shop Garden / bottom right = The Stitchers’ Garden.

On the ground.

The Enchanted Rain Garden. Designed by Bea Tann. Built by Big Fish Landscapes. Sponsored by The University of Sheffield Landscape Department.

I first thought they had watered the concrete slabs to make the effect of a rainy garden, before realising that no, it’s likely a painted surface. Which is disappointing. Especially as concrete slabs don’t help retain and reuse water, as this garden wants us to consider doing. The planting is all stuff that thrive in wet conditions, such as ferns, evoking an ancient forest with the lush foliage. The mossy reclaimed planters are stunning, and add to the aesthetic of woodiness, and though the wooded seating is of course natural, it is too smooth to really make you feel enveloped by this rainy climate. And that’s of course not what the North of England will continue to see. The rain barrel is a good feature, and I’m led wondering how many other exhibits had one included in their space, but actually to retain water for dramatically shifting weather patterns you need to plant more trees and ensure ground cover - the soil needs to be fungal rich, which it could get from ferns considering ancient woodlands are still having a nice time of it, but the concrete flooring is ultimately against the resilience required in the face of “the growing regularity of stormy weather we face as a result of climate change”. I guess a muddy garden is no good, though.

The New Blue Peter Garden - Discover Soil. Designed by Juliet Sargeant. Built by Gardenlink. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. Inspired by Blue Peter.

“In the BBC centenary year, its flagship children’s programme, Blue Peter is getting a new garden. The theme of The New Blue Peter Garden is ‘discover soil’.” It’s well thought out for use by children, for instance with having a subterranean observation chamber to watch what happens below ground, and a soundscape of the compost heap (intrigued how they managed to capture that). The green roof is a lovely touch, and the space is vibrant. But I can’t help cringing at the cushions - it feels an afterthought to make it more user-friendly. If you’re really going to help people discover soil, really what you need, is a compost heap that people can literlaly get stuck in to. Not quite useful for a static exhibition, but as the entire garden will move to its permanent home at RHS Bridgewater, perhaps they’ll install something more physically engaging? And then they could compost the cushions, assuming they have made them of natural fibres and vegetable inks, to further highlight the wonder of soil science.

Images: left = The Enchanted Rain Garden / middle and right = The New Blue Peter Garden - Discover Soil.

Thank you for reading. I’d love to read your comments, especially if you visited and experienced the space in person and feel I’ve been harsh or missed the point on something. When a show is created purely to satisfy the hobbyist needs of a small population, it has to be remembered that there are restrictions on accessibility, practicality, and tangibility. So much energy goes into the physical planting, along with the design minds and funding minds behind such projects, and there’ll always be something that has to be missed, and perhaps stories that can’t be passed on without conversation too. I’m therefore going at this - as I said at the very beginning of this article - critically, from the perspective of a land-based worker. In fact, steward, not worker. Many of the designers are stewards in their own right of the issues they are presenting, and all issues/concepts presented have a necessary space in conversation. I’m just fed up of what comes across as “I’m saving the planet”, when it’s one solution in a myriad of required innovations, and I feel that there isn’t enough constructive discourse to unlean and learn from one another. So I’ll be asking, now that the show is over, why Lottie planted chives in the Textile Garden, and maybe I’ll explore with the chives in my own garden.