Peter Dowdall: Chelsea Flower Show designs mark 'seismic shift' in how gardens are built

Ssustainability is taking centre stage at festivals like the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Gold medal winner: The WaterAid Garden, designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn.

First-time garden designer Giulio Giorgi and garden contractor Landesigns received the inaugural RHS Environmental Innovation Award in recognition of the efforts they have gone to in order to reduce the environmental footprint of the World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The new award, which was open to all those in the show and sanctuary garden categories at this year’s event, was introduced to recognise and celebrate the innovative ways designers and contractors have reduced the environmental impact of the gardens they have created.

The garden has been created using products made entirely from soil and timber and in its construction, no power tools have been used, only hand tools, so it is a fine example of how we can design and build gardens more sustainably in the future, according to Malcolm Anderson, RHS head of sustainability. “We felt the World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden stood out as a beautifully simple example of merging old techniques with new, where Giulio has used 3D printing to create traditional keyhole gardens.”

The award-winning World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden, designed by Giulio Giorgi.

This year has marked something of “a seismic shift in the way the gardens have been designed and built”, adds Mr Anderson. “Yes, we can always do better and there is always something new to learn. But we should all take a moment to celebrate the sustainability stories embedded in this year’s gardens,” he says.

Eleven gardens applied for this award, which were judged according to seven criteria. Judges considered end-of-life plans for the gardens, whether materials can be reused, and how the gardens will benefit the community and environment in their final location.

Gold medal standard: St James's Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different was designed by Robert Myers.

Innovations commended by the judges in the other gardens considered for the award included the use of hemp in the construction of the Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery designed by Miria Harris and built by Mark Gregory of Landform Consultants, which also included a prototype hemp composite paving never been tried at the show before.

The judges were also particularly impressed with how designers Tom Massey and Je Ahn along with Landscape Associates created the gold medal-winning WaterAid Garden with its relocated site at the forefront. This garden has the potential to make a difference globally as plans for the rainwater harvesters in the garden will be freely available from WaterAid so that these can be replicated anywhere in the world.

RHS director general Clare Matterson commended designers and contractors’ efforts at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show to reduce their gardens’ impact on the environment which she says “demonstrates fantastic progress and a huge shift forward as we continue to work collaboratively on our journey to make the show and indeed the whole industry adopt more sustainable practices in garden design”.

St James’s in Piccadilly is the only church in recent years with a show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and this also achieved the coveted gold medal standard. A restored, accessible garden, which will relocate to St James’s Piccadilly to create a welcoming and inclusive space for the congregation, local population, and visitors, where nature has its proper place in the city, with contemplative green space in the heart of everyday life.

The Project Giving Back-sponsored garden, Imagine the World to be Different, was designed by award-winning landscape architect Robert Myers who says he wants it to explore “ideas around gathering, refuge and the importance of restorative green spaces in the city, celebrating the history, social impact and environmental commitments of the church”.

The show garden paid homage to the revitalising influence of urban green spaces. Upon entering through an archway reminiscent of the proposed gateways leading to the churchyard at St James’s Piccadilly, visitors entered a contemplative haven. Here, nature took centre stage with a lush, biodiverse planting scheme.

Actress Indira Varma in the gold medal-winning WaterAid garden.

This tranquil, introspective space uplifted the spirit, serving as a sanctuary for urban dwellers and city wildlife. It beckoned visitors to sit, stroll, and immerse themselves in the sensory delights of dappled shade, multi-layered verdant landscapes, and soothing water features.

St James's Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different, designed by Robert Myers.

The garden proudly exhibited a diverse selection of climate-resilient trees, offering a place of restoration for those searching for peace and inspiration. A circular, sculptural stone counselling hut was thoughtfully placed among the foliage, providing a secure setting for exchanging ideas and shared experiences.

As a nod to the ambience of St James’s, the “borrowed” plane trees adorning the Chelsea show garden were reminiscent of the trees in today’s church garden, inviting people to unite and nurture the tradition of conversations under trees.

This garden celebrated the significance of urban pocket parks in London and other cities, often connected with historic churchyards, some bearing the scars of wartime bombing yet refusing to yield to destruction. These spaces have been reimagined as biodiverse and slightly eclectic garden sanctuaries, representing a harmonious blend of history and ecological vibrancy.

The National Garden Scheme Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. 

The garden’s inspiration extends to the resilient pioneer plants that found a foothold in the ruins of St James’s after wartime bombings. These seeds, carried by the wind, represented new hope and growth. Seven such species are featured in the garden, serving as a reminder of nature’s resilience and its capacity for regeneration.