As the RHS Chelsea Flower Show opened it's gilded gates for the 2026 show yesterday, the tone was one of understated, quiet elegance. And I am fully on board.
Overall, a more muted palette ran through the gardens, with gentle, serene swathes of planting in colors that didn't shout, rather, stood resiliently in stiu, reinforcing the ever-poignant messages within the garden designs.
Despite a more soothing pace, there will always be an overwhelming level of inspiration, detail and design to distil at RHS Chelsea, so I've done the work for you. I have narrowed down everything I saw to five of the very best gardens, and the ideas and design elements you can take from each of them to recreate beautifully in your own outside space.
Retro Balcony Styling at its Very Best
The two most important things about a garden design (that tell me instantly whether or not I love it) is how it makes me feel (I want to feel inspired, safe, calm, cocooned in nature), and how easy it is to recreate at home. I need it to be attainable in some way.
A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge, designed by Katerina Kantalis, gave me a sense of nostalgia that I wanted to wrap up in a cozy blanket and carry all the way home with me.
There are so many elements to inspire and emulate from this balcony garden design, from the vintage wicker chairs (I found an elegant dupe at Ikea) to the beautiful, comforting collection of terracotta pots, just like this set of three I found at Amazon.
The shelf styling, however, has to be my favorite thing about it. I immediately wanted to create a potting bench with hooks and retro ceramics, covered in potted pelargoniums.
I found a rather quaint retro clock, from Amazon, to start my collection. And this is a lovely pot rack with hooks also from Amazon; I adore this idea for displaying gardening tools in a more aesthetic way.
Despite being designed with a retired couple in mind, this London balcony garden could work for all ages. Anyone with a passion for retro, nostalgic styling, and who wants to create a botanical sanctuary in an urban setting would feel right at home here.
A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge won Gold, and Best Balcony Garden at this year's show.
Unexpected Water Features
Within the Parkinson's UK show garden, A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey, designed by Arit Anderson, winds a gentle, curving water feature that I could not take my eyes off.
Water features were a prominent theme across many of the Chelsea gardens this year, but in this one it was elevated above the planting, flowing gently from one section of the to another.
The tactile 'hand rill' was designed to give sensory cues to people with Parkinson's to help aid movement. There's no denying the sound of flowing water can help to relax and sooth us in a garden, and this particular feature got me thinking about how we can add water features into our yards at different heights.
I love the idea of this hanging solar bird bath fountain, available from Amazon, which you could hang from a large potted tree on a patio.
The Parkinson's UK garden won a Silver medal at this year's show.
English Courtyard Charm
The Whittard of Chelsea Garden, designed by Ollie Pike and awarded Gold, is a courtyard garden design with an utterly joyful, romantic feel, packed with comforting scent and sound.
One element I absolutely love in this design are the enormous planters, which are a bold addition in such a small space. It's encouraging me to make more confident choices and go bigger with my patio design.
I found these incredible galvanized metal planters from Wayfair, which would make a statement when planted with bushy roses or dominant evergreen shrubs, such as fatsia japonica, which you can find at Amazon.
In this garden, these eclectic planters are not only used for shrubs and flowers, but also as statement water features, adding to the retreat-style feel.
Earth Tones with Soft, Gentle Planting
Muted tones and soft planting were a feature throughout this year's show, but nowhere better than within The Lady Garden Foundation, 'Silent No More' garden, designed by Darren Hawkes, and awarded Gold.
Before I read anything about this garden, I could sense that the planting, which sways from pastels and neutrals to more powerful tones of rich apricot and burgundy, was reflective of the power and poignancy this space conveys.
Designed to embody the fearless women's gynaecological health charity, Lady Garden Foundation, the feeling I got when looking into this garden was one of quiet resilience.
The planting combination would be simple to recreate. To get this look and feel, mix bold bearded iris in apricot and burgundy tones, such as the exquisite Iris germanica 'Bernice's Legacy' from Nature Hills, with pastel pink astrantia major, and Nepeta racemosa 'Walker's Low', available from Fast Growing Trees.
Winding paths and intimate seating areas also featured strongly, as spaces to have honest conversations and foster connections.
If you have a larger backyard, consider adding seating within the space, not just at either end of it. Look for curved shapes to create flow and movement, such as this curved, whimsical metal bench from Wayfair, that would fit beautifully around the perimtere of a mature tree.
Moroccan-Inspired Courtyard Idea
Having recently been to Morocco, I was eager to find a way to incorporate the beautiful Moorish elements of courtyard design I'd seen there into my own yard.
I was instantly drawn to the Flood Re: Contain the Rain Garden, designed by John Howlett, for the amount of depth created in such a small space.
Inspired by Persian design, this garden transforms a small urban space into a serene retreat, an antidote to modern city life, and a sustainable oasis. The hexagonal planters help to maximise every inch of space here, and the tropical planting creates a lush canopy, which would also help to create shade and keep the space cool during the hottest months of the year.
For tropical monstera plants, look no further than Fast Growing Trees. And Burpee has a beautiful range of ferns for shade and sun.
The copper patina rain chain feature was my favourite style element. You can find a similar rain chain design at Target. I also love this hummingbird rain chain design from Amazon.
The Contain the Rain Garden won Gold at this year's show.
Look out for more Chelsea Flower Show content from our team this week, as we continue to distil our thoughts and verdicts on this year's inspiring designs and plant finds, such as the rare blue kangaroo paw – an amazing, resilient plant you will want to learn more about.
And if you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?
