Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants has been chosen by 3 garden designers to supply some if not all of their peat free herbaceous perennials for their gardens at at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The gardens have all been sponsored by Project Giving Back - the grant-making charity that supports gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea.

Jo Thompson - photo copyright Rachel Warne

Jo Thompson. Photo (c) Rachel Warne.

Jo Thompson Garden Design, an experienced Chelsea exhibitor, has designed a main avenue garden for the Glasshouse Project, which uses horticulture to give female prisoners a second chance while serving their sentences and upon release, preventing reoffending and promoting resettlement. Jo said “The Glasshouse Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be an immersive, hopeful and reflective space – a garden that embodies the transformative effect of The Glasshouse mission to help people grow and embrace a second chance."

Visual The Glasshouse Garden copyright Jo Thompson Garden Design

Visual: The Glasshouse Garden. Photo (c) Jo Thompson Garden Design.

Katy Terry of Good Grounding Garden Design, a new comer to Chelsea, has designed a garden for the ADHD Foundation, which is the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity.

Katy Terry copyright Katy Terry

Katy Terry of Good Grounding. Photo (c) Katy Terry

The garden will draw a deep parallel between the rich diversity of plant life and the unique strengths of neurodiverse individuals. It aims to encourage visitors to ‘think differently about thinking differently’ and help them understand how those with a neurodiverse condition, who think differently, perceive the world through a different lens and don’t always behave as expected. Just as plants grow and adapt in unexpected ways, people with neurodivergent minds also thrive doing things differently.”

Visual: The ADHD Foundation Garden. (c) Katy Terry

Nicola Oakey, of Nicola Oakey Design, is another debutee at RHS Chelsea. Nicola has designed a garden for Songbird Survival which works to save songbirds through science.

Nicola Oakey. Photo copyright Nicola Oakey

Nicola Oakey. Photo (c) Nicola Oakey

The Songbird Survival Garden “centres around the narrative of a bird’s daily life. Designed with children in mind, it provides a playful, immersive space for people to connect with the fascinating lives of songbirds. The garden explores how three elements – shelter, water and food - are instrumental to birds’ lives.”

Visual Image: Songbird Survival Garden by Nicola Oakey

Visual: Songbird Survival Garden by Nicola Oakey (c) Nicola Oakey

Rosy said “We’re delighted to have been chosen as a grower to supply these gardens at this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The team will be working hard over the coming months to ensure our plants are of the standard required for the world’s greatest flower show, giving these designers, their incredible charities a chance of winning that prestigious RHS Gold medal alongside the People’s Choice Award. "

While Rosy and Rob retired from exhibiting their own floral displays and gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021, they've been involved in the show ever since to some degree. Last year, 2024, saw Rosy mentor a young designer, Emma Tipping, to create the UBS x RHS feature garden 'A day in the life of a nursery'. An immersive experience, the space showcased plants by The Caley Brothers Mushrooms, Kent Wildflower Seeds, Kitchen Garden Plant Centre and She Grows Veg. The feature offered an insight into innovative garden design, sustainable horticulture and making planting accessible for a wide range of growing spaces. Queen Camilla visited, as did the BBC Gardeners World team. To read more about that exhibit see: Photos of the UBS RHS A day on the nursery an insight into life as a grower, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 .

2024 saw Rob once again mentor a number of new exhibitors, providing his logistics and insider Chelsea knowledge, helping a number of plants people navigate he show space and to better understand the Chelsea rules and regulations. Holly and Nicky of In the Garden UK, one of his mentees, achieved an RHS Gold Medal for their house plants display.

Our plants were also part of Tsyukao Asada's Nobonsai balcony Garden, which promoted no-waste construction methods - the Alice Method - along with sustainable planting and living practices which could be used in a small space such as a balcony. A Japanese based first time exhibitor at Chelsea, her balcony garden was awarded an RHS Silver Gilt medal. Read more here.

This year, Rosy, who is an honorary Vice President of the RHS, has been supporting the Society to define the criteria for the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year. "The award celebrates new plants launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and helps to bring these wonderful introductions to UK gardeners."

As the season progresses, we'll be posting updates on our website, and social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. Like and follow us to find out more.