It's that time once again, when the finest garden displays go on show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Here at w&h, we are privileged to visit and spend an afternoon chatting with the designers and growers about the inspirations and stories behind each plot.
This year, although they were all magnificent, elements of the designs felt more achievable than ever, allowing budding gardeners to take away a slice of inspiration to recreate in their own gardens – albeit on a much smaller scale.
From the naturalistic planting in The Campaign to Protect Rural England: 'On The Edge', to the sustainable approach of the RHS & The King's Foundation Curious Garden, every garden trend was covered at this year's famous show.
My RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 highlights: 5 achievable trends
From the sprawling show gardens on the main parade to the compact creations on the balcony and container garden areas, the show is bursting with ideas for all plots. Despite the designs being very different in style, many key trends run through them all in some form or another – from water features to sustainable gardening ideas.
1. Naturalistic planting
This trend is no surprise, as we see the rise of 'meadowscaping' and rewilding trends to create a low-effort, high-value display that attracts abundant wildlife. This movement is about letting nature do what it does best, largely untouched.
The planting in The Campaign to Protect Rural England: 'On The Edge emulates that of the rural land that frames our urban spaces – featuring nearly 3,000 perennials, shrubs and trees. The plants were curated to recreate the wild areas that connect us to nature, which are all too often taken for granted. The plants grow wild and free, but to remind us that the natural world is thriving all around us.
Another garden that makes naturalistic planting the hero is The Kiliki & Co 'A Seed in Time' Garden. The cultivated species gives the garden a gently matured feel, while a colour palette of pale purples, oranges and deep reds creates a warm, earthy feel synonymous with wildflowers.
The garden features Melica altissima ‘Purpurea’, a striking grass valued for its colour and height, Lamium album, a nettle-like plant with delicate white flowers and Epimedium alpinum, a reliable ground cover plant, "ideal for open, shaded spots throughout the garden", say the designers.
2. Water features
The water features at this year's RHS Flower Show varied in terms of scale, but almost every garden featured some impactful element of water.
From the winding water feature in the Lady Garden Foundation's 'Silent No More' Garden, filling from a central pool to give movement throughout the entire garden, to the simple barrel container with a running tap on The Whittard of Chelsea Garden, water features were at every turn.
Water features are no longer confined to small pond ideas. From cascading water fountains to small bird baths, there's a wealth of different options to add an element of water to any garden.
Not only is a water feature an asset to wildlife in your garden, but it's also a simple zen garden idea to create a more tranquil environment. The soothing sound of trickling water is ideal for enhancing a sensory garden.
3. Soft curved forms
We've seen this becoming increasingly popular in recent years for interiors, so it's only natural that we're starting to see curves taking over in our outdoor spaces too.
Curvaceous furniture dominated the Alzheimer's Society: Microbes and Mind Garden, the Lady Garden Foundation 'Silent No More' Garden and the Parkinson's UK – A Garden For Every Parkinson's Journey to show how softness offers a more soothing environment.
The thing I noticed at this year's show was the presence of soft edges going beyond garden structures and furniture into shapely planting schemes, from topiary and shrubs to the magnificent moss balls.
The move away from defined, hard lines is a sign of gardens becoming less manicured and perfect. Even when the garden design is immaculately crafted, as with Japanese garden ideas, the use of spheres and curves helps to soften the overall look.
4. Uplifting colour
It was starting to feel like the colour had drained from many modern-day gardens, with the quiet luxury garden trend taking hold. But I'm a great believer that being bold with colour can look just as chic; it's all about how you use it.
One of my favourites from the show was The Seasalt Painted Garden, a balcony garden that instantly captivated me. I'm not typically someone who likes bold colours, but the display was so joyous it was hard not to love the sunshine-yellow flowers, feel-good azure blue planters and uplifting orange-painted walls.
The RHS & The King's Foundation Curious Garden was awash with plants for pollinators, with a heavy mix of herbaceous bedding plants welcoming a riot of colour, including the bright blue Delphiniums, said to be a favourite of The King.
But of course, uplifting colour doesn't have to mean primary, bold hues – as the rich red of the 'Acer palmatum Orangeola' trees proved in the Tokonoma Garden. This thoughtful use of colours shows how even the evergreen elements of a garden can add a splash of vibrant colour.
5. Cottage garden favourites
Cottage garden ideas will always prove timeless, and at this year's show, elements of country-style gardens dominated across all the gardens.
From the best country garden plants, such as Foxgloves with their bell-shaped trumpets and generous, blousey blooms of rose bushes, to the use of bricks to emulate wall gardens, there was a clear focus on classic country favourites.
Perhaps because the look is so timeless or because the statement flowers offer maximum impact with minimal effort, whatever it is, cottage garden favourites were front and centre at this year's RHS flower show.
While these are only a few elements to take away for our own plots, many of the gardens echo highlights from last year's show, where the main core focus is on sustainability and tolerant planting to future-proof our gardens.
Attending the show as part of my job really is an utter privilege, and one I never take for granted – it is, after all, the pinnacle of garden events, the greatest of all the shows to inspire outdoor spaces of all sizes.
I highly recommend attending if you can because there's SO much more to the show that most people even know – see our RHS Chelsea Flower Show insider tips on the things you might otherwise miss.
