Love, lust and gnomes as top British flower show bursts into bloom
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A visitor at the Peter Beales' roses exhibit at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 18.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON – From gardens to inspire younger generations, to havens of peace and sanctuary, to a hothouse space designed to stir desire, Britain’s top flower show is flourishing.
“We’ve never needed the joy of gardening, the power of plants for our planet or the peace of simply sitting in a garden, more,” said Ms Clare Matterson, director of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), in a statement.
Over five days from May 19, more than 150,000 people are expected to visit the RHS’ annual popular Chelsea Flower Show, with 30 gardens competing for coveted awards.
Shaking up the normally genteel world of gardening, Aphrodite’s Hothouse is described on the RHS website as “the ultimate pleasure garden... lush, fragrant and just a little bit naughty”.
It is a theatrical display of lust and love, said designer James Whiting.
Designer James Whiting at his exhibit, Aphrodite's Hothouse, at the Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 18.
PHOTO: AFP
With pendulous or heart-shaped flowers and suggestive, sculptural blooms, as well some discreet sex toys, the indoor garden has stirred some controversy.
But Mr Whiting dismissed it, saying “people are excited to see something a bit fresh... and to see the RHS opening the doors to more modern topics”.
“Flowers are all about sex. So, why not bring that to the Chelsea Flower Show?” he asked, pointing to what he called a new wave of gardeners exhibiting at the show.
Hope, regeneration
A visitor photographing the Gaia sculpture in the Campaign to Protect Rural England's Garden On the Edge.
PHOTO: AFP
Elsewhere, fallen trees have been carved into a giant sculpture of a sleeping Gaia, or Mother Nature in Greek mythology, emphasising the natural world’s power to protect.
“The garden aims to bring to you the potential and the joy in the ordinary,” said Ms Sarah Eberle, designer of the Garden On The Edge from the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
After the show, the whole garden, including Gaia, will be moved and become a communal park for a housing estate in northern Sheffield.
Also with an eye on sustainability, the Bring Me Sunshine garden has been designed to become part of Britain’s second Eden Project, which is set to open in 2028 in north-western Morecambe.
It is surrounded by a wall made from shell-based waste products – clams, mussels and cockles, and limestone from the coast – as a recycled alternative to concrete.
Visitors at the Eden Project's Bring Me Sunshine garden.
PHOTO: AFP
The garden is filled with edible plants like samphire – making its first appearance at the show – as well as sea kale and sea buckthorn. These are all plants from the Morecambe Bay coast.
An important way to connect with nature is by using food as a gateway, said Mr Harry Holding, one of the designers and a keen forager.
The original Eden Project has pumped £6.8 billion (S$11.7 billion) into the local economy in the 25 years since a clay pit in south-western Cornwall was transformed into stunning gardens.
It draws about a million visitors annually, and the aim is to bring the same benefits to the impoverished Morecambe, providing jobs and training to young people.
It is a story about hope and regeneration, said co-designer Alex Michaelis.
Farther along is the Children’s Society garden, a peaceful, informal space for teenagers.
“It’s a garden of safety, it’s a garden of calm, of protection,” said designer Patrick Clarke, describing entering the denser part as moving “into the hug of the garden”, allowing the “always-on generation” to reflect and slow down.
He has included smaller plants to show resilience, “little jewels that just need that little bit of love, that little bit of care we all need”.
‘Be curious’
Set on the banks of the River Thames, the Royal Chelsea Hospital has hosted the show since 1913. It has grown so popular that tickets are sold out.
In 2026, for only the second time in the show’s 113-year history, gnomes – those whimsical, some say kitschy, ornaments – have been allowed back onto the show grounds.
Celebrities including Australian actress Cate Blanchett and English guitarist Brian May have painted the cheeky characters to be auctioned off for charity.
Painted gnomes featuring the names of David Beckham, King Charles III, garden designer Frances Tophill and Alan Titchmarsh at the Chelsea Flower Show.
PHOTO: AFP
King Charles III also has a garden featured. The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden “celebrates the rich diversity of plants and their impact on our lives”, the show’s website says.
The King’s favourite flower is said to be the majestic delphinium. Designer and TV presenter Frances Tophill and her team tracked down what is thought to be the rarest delphinium in the world, the cornflower blue Delphinium elatum “Alice Artindale”.
“In my experience, gardening is all about being curious,” said English football legend David Beckham, who co-created the king’s garden, on the RHS website. AFP
