Top Trends from the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The flagship event in the UK’s gardening calendar took place at the end of last month – the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show. Here, Madingley Mulch, who stock soil conditioners and composts for gardeners in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and across East Anglia, look at some of the key trends in garden design and plant choice resulting from the show.

 

Technology

One of the most notable, f trends this year was the increased use of modern technology. For example, in the Avanade Intelligent Garden, AI sensors were placed on trees, and these relayed when the plants needed attention. Via a web-based app, visitors could have a ‘conversation’ with a tree to learn about its care and take appropriate action, such as giving it more (or less) water.

The garden also kept track of the number of pollinators which visited the plants, via a camera inside a wooden bird house. These innovative approaches won its designers Tom Massey and Je Ahn the award for Best Construction (Show Garden).

 

Sustainability

The idea that gardens should be as sustainable as possible remains a key trend. This year, The Pathway Garden, which was created by the homeless and health inclusion charity of the same name, used a variety of upcycled materials, including a bench made from a fallen tree and a mycelium wall. (Mycelium is a fungus which supports and sustains healthy woodland systems by sharing nutrients and forming networks within the root systems of plants).

This approach helped the garden’s designers, Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin, win the RHS’s Environmental Innovation award.

And The Hospice UK Garden of Compassion featured artisan-crafted elements from reclaimed and sustainable materials, which were sourced locally.

 

Water Preservation

Given that the UK has had one of the driest springs on record, it was appropriate that many entries featured drought-resistant plants, or they came up with innovative ways to preserve water.

For instance, the Hospitalfield Garden (inspired by the Scottish arts venue of the same name) had a strong Mediterranean feel. It included a sand dune and plenty of plants that can thrive without much water (including geraniums and euphorbias). This helped the designers win a Silver Gilt Medal.

And, The Killik & Co Save For a Rainy Day Garden included a steel water tank on the rear boundary wall, which collected  runoff rainwater. A pergola, constructed with cantilevered troughs suspended in a stone arch, also captured rainwater and directed it to a water feature.

 

 

In the Pink (and Purple and Yellow)

The show’s Plant of the Year was the Philadelphus petite perfumed pink – which is a mixture of dark and pale pinks, and because it is so compact, it can be grown in quite small gardens.

There were plenty of vivid colours throughout the show, often paired with paler plants. Purple and yellow were particularly prominent, with lilac geraniums (pictured), irises, poppies and primulas mixed together. The Songbird Survival Garden and the Avanade garden both made good use of this colour combination.

 

Soil Conditioners in Hertfordshire from Madingley Mulch

If you feel suitably inspired by the designs, then Madingley Mulch should be able to help. We stock a variety of garden design materials, including fencing, paving, and turf – for more details, check out our online shop.

And whatever plants you want to grow, we can help there too, even though the clay soil in the East of England isn’t ideal for many flowers and shrubs. Our range of soil conditioners and composts should improve the structure and fertility of your beds – in particular Denise’s Delight and Tony’s Tonic. Both of these include manure and a mix of other plant nutrients, including Black Fen soil, and are exclusively available at our base on the outskirts of Cambridge.

And if you are interested in redesigning your outdoor space, we have plenty of sleepers and log rolls which can help fashion a number of eye-catching garden features – check out our associated products page.

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