One of the installations that we’re most excited to see is the spectacular Bull Ring entrance display by Cotswolds based floral designer Millie Richardson. Working with seasonal British blooms, Millie has teamed up with Brambly Hedge to create a magical installation inspired by Jill Barklem’s Spring and Summer stories. Think clouds of seasonal flowers and foliage, nostalgic storybook details and the prettiest English countryside feel imaginable. It already sounds like one of those instantly iconic Chelsea moments; and we have a feeling it’s going to be impossible to walk past without stopping for photos!

Perhaps the biggest talking point of the year is The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden, designed by Frances Tophill. Inspired by traditional English cottage gardens, it combines ornamental planting with edible crops, herbs and pollinator-friendly flowers in a way that feels both beautiful and genuinely achievable. We can’t wait to see it! Blue delphiniums (one of the King’s favourite flowers) feature prominently throughout the garden, including the exceptionally rare Delphinium elatum ‘Alice Artindale’, of which only a handful of plants are known to exist.

What makes this garden particularly special is that it doesn’t feel overly polished or ‘showy’. Reclaimed materials, wildlife-friendly planting and an oak-framed structure give it a softer, more personal atmosphere – very much in keeping with the wider Chelsea trend this year towards gardens that feel lived-in, meaningful and environmentally conscious, rather than simply decorative.

Another standout Show Garden is the Lady Garden Foundation’s ‘Silent No More’, designed by Darren Hawkes. Already one of the most talked-about gardens of the year, it tackles the silence surrounding gynaecological health and cancer awareness through a calm, sculptural landscape. Soft planting, flowing forms and tranquil textures create a garden that feels both beautiful and deeply thoughtful. It’s one of several spaces at Chelsea this year exploring the connection between gardens, wellbeing and healing.

That same feeling continues with the Asthma & Lung UK Breathing Space Garden, which embraces a minimalist, Japanese-inspired aesthetic designed to encourage calm and contemplation. There’s definitely a quieter, more reflective mood running through many of this year’s gardens, and it feels incredibly refreshing amongst all the grandeur Chelsea is known for. Sustainability is perhaps the defining theme of Chelsea 2026. Gone are the days when immaculate lawns and highly engineered planting schemes dominated the show. Instead, many designers are embracing softer, more naturalistic planting palettes and environmentally conscious construction methods.

Sarah Eberle’s ‘On the Edge’ garden for the Campaign to Protect Rural England may be the clearest example of this shift. Rather than celebrating perfectly manicured landscapes, the garden highlights neglected urban fringes and ‘edgelands’, those overlooked spaces between town and countryside that are often surprisingly rich in biodiversity. Nettles, wildflowers and salvaged materials are intentionally included to challenge traditional ideas of what makes a garden beautiful. It sounds wonderfully wild and slightly untamed in the best possible way.

The garden’s message is both ecological and emotional: that nature can thrive in unexpected places, and that even neglected landscapes deserve care and protection. A reclining Mother Nature sculpture carved from a fallen sequoia anchors the design, while self-seeded planting and reclaimed objects evoke the resilience of wild landscapes.

Elsewhere, Tim Smit’s ‘edimental’ garden continues Chelsea’s growing fascination with productive planting. Combining ornamental flowers with edible crops such as strawberries, leafy greens and cabbages, the garden proves that food-growing can be every bit as beautiful as traditional ornamental planting. It’s a lovely reminder that gardens can be practical as well as pretty; something that feels especially relevant right now as more people embrace kitchen gardens and home growing.

Climate resilience also shapes many of this year’s planting choices. Designers are increasingly favouring drought-tolerant species, gravel gardens, woodland-inspired schemes and plants capable of withstanding more unpredictable weather patterns. Given the unusually early spring this year, growers have apparently faced quite a challenge preparing their displays, which somehow makes Chelsea’s famously flawless floral displays feel even more impressive.

One of the most visually dramatic gardens this year is ‘Journey Beyond the Tracks’, inspired by Australia’s legendary Indian Pacific railway. The design contrasts the dusty colours and rugged textures of the Australian outback with the greener, more urban landscape of Adelaide. Warm ochres, weathered stone, sculptural planting and architectural lines give the garden an almost cinematic quality. It feels very different from the classic romantic English gardens Chelsea is known for, and that contrast is exactly what makes it so exciting.

Art and sculpture also play a huge role at Chelsea this year. Tom Stuart-Smith’s Tate Britain Garden is one of the most anticipated designs of the show, offering a preview of the new gardens planned for Tate Britain itself. Inspired by East Asian woodland planting, the design combines layered greenery with sculptural elements and a wonderfully calm atmosphere. Barbara Hepworth-inspired forms and carefully structured pathways make the garden feel almost like an outdoor gallery space rather than a traditional planting scheme. It’s another example of how Chelsea continues to evolve into something far beyond a flower show, becoming a real celebration of art, craftsmanship, design and storytelling too.

Japanese designer Kazuyuki Ishihara also returns this year with another exquisitely detailed garden featuring bonsai pines, moss-covered stonework and tranquil water elements. His gardens are always among the most photographed at Chelsea, and it’s easy to see why. They feel completely transporting; like stepping into another world for a few minutes.

Beyond the Show Gardens themselves, the Great Pavilion remains one of Chelsea’s greatest joys. This vast floral marquee is filled with specialist growers, nurseries and breeders displaying some of the finest flowers and foliage in the world.

New plant introductions are always a major attraction, particularly the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year competition, which celebrates exceptional new varieties entering the market. Delphiniums, irises, alliums and roses are expected to dominate this year’s displays, alongside more climate-adapted species and unusual foliage plants. Chelsea’s plant trends inevitably influence British gardens for years to come, and visitors always leave with planting ideas, colour palette inspiration and usually an extremely long wish-list.

The smaller ‘All About Plants’ category is also drawing plenty of attention this year. Particularly intriguing is The Plant Heritage Missing Collector Garden, designed to highlight rare and endangered plant genera that risk disappearing from cultivation altogether. Inspired by the idea of a mysterious absent collector, the garden combines storytelling with conservation in a really imaginative way, while also highlighting Chelsea’s growing focus on protecting botanical diversity.

One of the loveliest things about Chelsea today is the growing legacy of the gardens after the show ends. Many are funded through Project Giving Back and will later be relocated to hospitals, schools, community spaces and charities across the UK. It’s transformed Chelsea from a temporary spectacle into something with lasting social value, with gardens continuing to support mental health initiatives, youth organisations and rehabilitation spaces long after the medals have been awarded.

And of course… we need to talk roses!!

David Austin is unveiling the brand new ‘Sir David Beckham’ rose, created to celebrate Beckham’s 50th birthday after Harper Beckham reportedly approached the brand about creating one especially for him. It’s a beautiful soft blush rose with golden stamens at the centre, and part of every sale will go towards supporting The King’s Foundation. We already know this is going to be one of the most photographed launches of the week. Harkness Roses are also launching five brand new varieties this year, including ‘Parkinson’s Resilience’, which has intentionally very little scent to reflect the loss of smell experienced by many Parkinson’s sufferers.

And of course, no Chelsea visit is complete without a little shopping!

If you love beautiful garden accessories as much as the planting itself, make sure you stop by Claverton Cloches. You’ll be familiar with their designs if you’ve seen our garden at Old House Our Home, and their Victorian-inspired cloches, traditional hose reels and timeless garden pieces are absolutely stunning; the kind of pieces that somehow make you want to redesign your entire potting shed. Other retailers to stop by include Highgrove, Suzie Watson Designs and another personal favourite of ours, Holland Cooper, who are debuting at Chelsea this year with the launch of their very first gardening collection. Honestly, Chelsea shopping is dangerous in the very best way.

Outside the showground itself, Chelsea in Bloom once again transforms the surrounding neighbourhood into a giant floral festival. Running alongside Chelsea week, the event sees shops, restaurants and hotels competing to create extravagant floral installations throughout the area. I’m thrilled to be one of the judges for the floral festival once again this year, and I can’t wait to see the displays that will be covering The Kings Road and beyond this year. This year’s theme, ‘Out of this World’, promises celestial-inspired displays, oversized sculptures and immersive floral art across Chelsea’s streets, so it’s well worth leaving extra time to explore the neighbourhood beyond the show itself.

Ultimately, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 feels like a celebration not just of beautiful gardens, but of a changing relationship with gardening itself. This year’s designers seem less focused on perfection for perfection’s sake, and more interested in storytelling, sustainability, wellbeing and creating spaces that people genuinely connect with. Of course, there are still breathtaking flowers, immaculate displays and plenty of dramatic show-stopping moments. But the gardens that stay with you this year are likely to be the ones with heart behind them, whether that’s encouraging biodiversity, reconnecting people with growing food, or simply creating spaces that make us feel calmer and more grounded.

And finally, my Chelsea survival tip? Pack SPF, bring an umbrella because British weather always keeps us guessing… and definitely take a reusable shopping bag because resisting the temptation to buy plants, books and beautiful garden accessories at Chelsea is almost impossible!