Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – Trends

Another Chelsea flower show has come and gone, showcasing many inspiring designs: from planting schemes, structures and new ways to use any sized spaces. Sometimes the show gardens can feel unattainable with very bespoke elements that are not always practical in everyday gardens. This year however, there were plenty of elements that could be implemented into any garden. Here’s a look at some of the top trends that we spotted this year:

Jewel colours

• In previous years the planting at Chelsea has been soft calming colours of pinks, whites, blues. As a contrast, this year many of the colour schemes used more vibrant yellows and oranges as well as beautiful deep purples and mahogany.
• These colours really popped and drew the eye without overwhelming. Even on a small scale, these colour choices would really elevate a planting scheme.

Interesting Seating

• This year had some really inspiring seating ideas. Almost every garden showed how seating can pull an outdoor space together and also bring a beautiful structural focal point to a garden (as well as being very practical).
• The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors, designed by John Warland & Emma O’Connell, was a great example of sunken circular seating creating an area for gathering and socialising.
• The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust, designed by Ann-Marie Powell used simple block seating for shorter pauses throughout a garden.

Water Features

• Water featured heavily in this year’s designs, with some focusing on sustainable water management using innovative design elements such as the central rainwater harvesting pavilion in The WaterAid Garden designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn.
• Others used water as central focal points or to create areas of calm pause such as the tree covered mirror pool in the Muscular Dystrophy UK: Forest Bathing Garden designed by Ula Maria.
• No matter what style or size of space, this year showed how water can be incorporated into any design.

Mix and Match Materials

• Hard landscaping is often the biggest expense in a new garden design, but there are ways and means of reducing the cost, while still achieving the desired look.
• Compressed gravel paths were found in several of the gardens and changes of material were used really well to transition from one space to another.

Flow

• A lot of the designs this year leaned into the softer shapes and curving paths to travel through the spaces.
• Many of the Sanctuary gardens showed exceptionally well how, in small spaces, you can use curving paths and borders to make the space feel larger.
• I particularly liked how this was used in The Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden designed by Helen Olney.

Planting edibles

• The pavilion also showcased some beautiful displays from specialist growers with several of them weaving edible plants into their set ups.
• They demonstrated how edibles can be planted to create a beautiful but practical planting scheme.
• Even in a small space, pots and planters can be utilized for fabulous displays of edible plants.

The Best of the Rest

Finally, here’s a selection of gardens with interesting designs and plant combinations that really took my eye this year…

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this snapshot of Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – to find out more details about any of these gardens, why not visit the Chelsea Flower Show 2024 website? And maybe you’ll be inspired to apply some of these ideas in your own gardens this year! – If you’d like some help with this and you’re based in or around the Reading and Newbury area, we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today.