What to take from RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023
Water is a Key Element
Many show gardens used water as a focal point, not only for visual benefits, but also for sound. Flowing water adds a real sense of calm to a garden, perfect for a peaceful corner.
Outdoor Dining is On Everyone’s Menu
As our summers get warmer, we can really make the most of our gardens and enjoy eating al fresco more often. Many show gardens at Chelsea this year featured outdoor dining spaces. This highlights how our habits are changing, therefore our gardens are becoming more of an extension of our homes.
Gardens inspired visitors to bring food to the heart of the garden and contained edible plants, kitchens to cook the produce and outdoor dining spaces to enjoy the literal fruits of your gardening labours.
Think Again About Weeds
In the build-up to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, weeds monopolised the media coverage. There’s no denying that this was the weediest Chelsea on record, with several show gardens featuring dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), common knapweed (Centaurea nigra), brambles and nettles. But once the show opened, the furore died down because what became clear from these looser, informal and proudly untidy spaces – such as Cleve West’s Centrepoint Garden and those created by Tom Massey, Jilayne Rickards and others – was the understated beauty of these botanical pariahs.
Plot To Plate
The Show Gardens at Chelsea inspired visitors to bring food to the heart of the garden and contained edible plants, kitchens to cook the produce and outdoor dining spaces to enjoy the literal fruits of your gardening labours.
Allotments are getting more and more about design and making the use of the space. Fresh food that is in-season is important for the future and Chelsea 2023 gave a gentle nod to that.
