2024 Chelsea Flower Show Unveils Cutting-Edge Garden Designs & Eco Innovations
Sponsored Content: This post has been kindly sponsored by Gardena. All experiences, thoughts and opinions are by Melanie Lissack.
As the heavens opened and the rain poured down on what was possibly one of the wettest few opening days for the Chelsea Flower Show, that didn’t dampen the spirits of the visitors who flocked in their waterproofs to see the gold medal gardens on Main Avenue and obtain the latest gardening tips and advice from the leaders of the horticultural world.
I absolutely adore the Chelsea Flower Show. It really is one of my favourite days of the year. As well as obtaining inspiration for my garden borders and discovering new species of plants, I love to see all the new trends within garden design and I enjoy taking away lots of colour inspiration. In recent years, the Chelsea Flower Show has been offering up a wealth of advice, information and tips on how to garden in a more eco-friendly way, so I am always looking out when I visit for the latest technological innovations, ideas and tools that I can use in my own garden at home in order to garden more sustainably.
Chelsea’s key Focus: Water Management
This year's biggest focus for Chelsea was on water management; how to waste less water in the garden and how to harvest water for our gardens more sustainably. While this message may have seemed a little preposterous in the midst of the heavy rain and flooding in between the stands, we all know that with climate change, next week could result in a heatwave for the UK and we will be just around the corner from a hosepipe ban.
The gold medal-winning WaterAid Garden - designed by Landscape designer Tom Massey and architect Je Ahn - featured a huge rainwater harvesting pavilion as its centrepiece, surrounded by rainwater-tolerant plants. For me, it was one of the standout gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The WaterAid Garden, designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn.
I was so inspired by The WaterAid Garden that I immediately headed over to the GARDENA interactive show garden and trade stand to learn about how I could implement water management on a smaller scale in my own garden, at home in Essex.
This year, leading gardening brand GARDENA’s 2024 Chelsea Flower Show Garden is focused on growth and resilience, showcasing the importance of native planting, water harvesting and clever watering solutions. It has been designed for a third year by sustainability eco-designer, Lynne Lambourne, who is incredibly enthusiastic about sustainable gardening. Lynne therefore integrated a dedicated potting shed alongside the garden as a space to educate and inspire visitors to re-think the plants they use, alongside providing advice on how to care for them in a more sustainable and resilient way.
Sustainable designer Lynne Lambourne on the garden she designed in collaboration with the high-quality garden tools brand Gardena.
GARDENA’s garden contained a vibrant mix of orange Geums and bee-loving white foxgloves alongside grow-your-own veg, all of which were intertwined with a number of GARDENA’s clever and efficient watering systems, smart systems, moisture sensors and water pumps. These water systems and irrigation sets (such as the incredible solar-powered AquaBloom - one of my favourite pieces of kit for the garden) maximise the efficient use of water resources, avoiding over or under-watering planters or borders, all while saving time and energy by not watering by hand.
Chelsea Flower Shows Key Plant: The Geum
There is always one plant at Chelsea that is used by multiple designers at the show and it then goes on to be the new ‘must have’ flower for gardeners. This year, it was the turn of the Geum. Geums could be found throughout the main show gardens and they were abundant on the stands inside The Great Pavilion. This hardy perennial is quite easy to get hold of in most garden centres and it was the soft orange variety that was the most popular at the show. Geums grow well in moist but well-drained soil in the sun to partial shade. You can also grow them in pots if you only have a balcony or a windowsill.
Orange Geums were abundant inside The Great Pavilion and on the Gardena Garden designed by Lynne Lambourne.
Garden Design: Green, leafy and full of natural materials
The show gardens at Chelsea Flower Show 2024 were definitely less ‘showy’ than previous years. Riotous colours and mixed planting were replaced by green palettes, only interrupted by hints of white or a splash of purple. Gardens were tree-heavy, leafy and shady and featured only natural materials like wood, stone or uncoated metals.
Wood, terracotta and stone were used in The National Garden Scheme Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith.
I loved this beautiful wood seat in the Imagine the World to be Different garden, designed by Robert Myers.
Key Shape: Curves
Just like interiors, Chelsea’s garden designs were full of curves. The circular window was a fantastic focal point in Kazuyuki Ishihara’s wonderful garden full of Acer’s. At the same time, the perforated 3D-printed terracotta modules on The Nurturing Garden for World Child Cancer created waves when constructed together to make planters.
MOROTO no IE Garden designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara.
3D planters found in World Child Cancer’s Nurturing Garden, designed by Giulio Giorgi.
Wiggle patterns could also be found on the base of the wooden seats in The Octavia Hill Garden - designed by Ann-Marie Powell - making them softer on the eye. While the curves of the flowing lips of the foundation found in the centre of The Bridgerton Garden - designed by Holly Johnston - also added a delicate touch of graceful Regency.
The Octavia Hill Garden, designed by Ann-Marie Powell.
The Bridgerton Garden, designed by Holly Johnston.
Best Styling:
While I love looking at all the planting, I can’t turn off my love for good styling and I am always pulled towards the most eye-catching floristy displays at the show. A rich tablescape featuring pinks, peaches and deep reds set my heart alight by London-based florist Poppy Sturley. I also adored the test-tube display by floral farm Days Of Dahlia, separated on each side by sheer curtains.
Still Life by Poppy Sturley in The Great Pavilion.
The Cracks That Appear, and the Things That Grow From Them displayed by Days Of Dhalia inside The Great Pavilion.