Seagrass, the ocean’s only flowering plant, made its debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in ‘The Seawilding Garden’ designed by Ryan McMahon, and won Gold and Best Garden in the All About Plants category.
‘The Seawilding Garden’ design was inspired by the landscape found at Loch Craignish on the west coast of Scotland, and the vital work of marine restoration charity Seawilding in reversing lost biodiversity by reintroducing keystone species seagrass (Zostera marina) and native oysters (Ostrea edulis) to their sea loch.
The garden will be relocated to Loch Craignish, home to Seawilding.
Read more about the garden in Issue 28 or hear from the garden designer on the Scotland Grows Show.
Chelsea newcomers, Nick Burton and Duncan Hall of Burton Hall Garden Design, were awarded an RHS Silver-gilt medal for their ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’, and then went on to win the RHS People’s Choice Award in the ‘Small Show Garden’ category.
Designed for Scottish charity Down’s Syndrome Scotland, the garden was an immersive, semi-wooded space that celebrated and reflected the joyful, unique qualities that people with Down's syndrome bring to society, whilst highlighting some of the daily challenges and barriers they face.
Nick Burton and Duncan Hall said, “We are over the moon to win our first Silver-gilt medal at RHS Chelsea for our ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’, which has all been made possible by the generous funding provided by Project Giving Back. We hope visitors are drawn in by the garden’s lush, woodland planting, but also take a moment to look a little closer and see the deeper meaning and themes woven into its design. We hope our garden will allow people to reflect on the daily challenges faced by people with Down’s syndrome, so they can reconsider misconceptions about their abilities, and appreciate the many joyful, positive qualities they bring on a greater level to society.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have won the People’s Choice award too. It means so much that our garden resonated with the public, and thank you to everyone who voted for us to crown us as winners of the RHS People’s Choice Award in our category! We are thrilled and just can’t believe it!”
The garden will be relocated to the garden managed in a partnership with Down’s Syndrome Scotland by the charity Watch US Grow, at Palacerigg Country Park, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Read more about the garden in Issue 27 or hear from the garden designers and the Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland on the Scotland Grows Show.
The ‘Hospitalfield Arts Garden’, designed by Nigel Dunnett and inspired by the sand dunes of Arbroath where contemporary arts organisation Hospitalfield is based, also won a Silver Gilt medal.
With an art studio Bothy at the centre, the garden was designed as a place for arts and creativity and will be relocated to Ladyloan Primary School, Arbroath, Angus.
Read more about the garden in Issue 29 of Scotland Grows magazine.
Inspired by the wilderness of the Scottish Cairngorms landscape, home of Fettercairn distillery, ‘Fettercairn Wilderness Retreat’ was a balcony garden designed to ignite the senses and invigorate the soul and was awarded a Silver medal.
A striking copper bathtub for a cold-water plunge brought the sound of moving water and a more sheltered seat provided space to relax. The garden was designed for a busy professional couple who love the outdoors, and in particular the Cairngorms in Scotland, and wanted to recreate the environment for daily health benefits on their high-rise city balcony.
Surrounded by wild and verdant planting reminiscent of the Cairngorms landscape, it echoes the grassy heathland, rocky outcrops, and mossy glens. The Balcony garden is being relocated to the Fettercairn distillery.
The Meconopsis Group put on a Gold medal-winning display of Meconopsis species and cultivars in the Floral Marquee, as well as showcasing an educational display on growing and caring for Meconopsis.
You can read more about how the Group planned their display in Issue 29.
Kevock Garden Plants, located just south of Edinburgh, scooped their 11th Gold medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show with their selection of alpine and woodland plants, displayed at eye-level height so visitors to the event could really get up close and personal with this specialist planting display.
Glendoick Gardens Ltd. received a silver-gilt medal for their Rhododendron and Azalea display in the Plant Heritage display within the Floral Marquee, commemorating and celebrating the legacy of the late Peter Cox.
East Lothian Astrantia specialists Letham Plants were also awarded a silver-gilt this year.
Glasgow-based POTR, a flat-packed, self-watering planter made from waste materials and designed to be posted directly through your letterbox, was awarded RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2024, and this year scooped the Sustainable Business of the Year Award.
In the past year alone, POTR has collected, recycled, and converted five metric tonnes of plastic waste from the UK coastline into its flatpack planters, removing harmful materials from the marine ecosystem and transforming them into long-lasting, self-watering planters using an in-built, wicking self-watering system.
The trade stand awards recognise exhibits which enhance the Chelsea visitor experience by combining creativity, design, and theatre in a stand which is not only about product, but which offers an attraction in its own right. Both James Parker Sculpture and Angus Ross Furniture were awarded 5 stars for their stands this year.