RHS Chelsea – Gold Fever

Inspiration from Chelsea: Bringing RHS Chelsea Flower Show Magic to Your Garden

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has once again dazzled and inspired us at Caragh Nurseries. As we wandered through this year’s spectacular displays, we found ourselves drawn to gardens that not only showcase extraordinary design but also offer practical inspiration that can be translated into our clients’ spaces here in Ireland and the UK.

Jo Thompson’s Glasshouse Garden: Simplicity with Impact
Jo Thompson’s Glasshouse Garden was undoubtedly one of our highlights this year. What captivated us most was the beautiful planting combined with elegant simplicity—a perfect demonstration that sometimes less truly is more.

The thoughtful plant combinations created texture and visual interest while maintaining a cohesive look. We particularly admired how Thompson used a restrained palette that still delivered dramatic impact through careful consideration of form, height, and seasonal interest.

How to bring this to your garden:
At Caragh Nurseries, we can help you achieve this balance through our carefully curated plant selections. Our mature specimen trees can provide the structural backbone similar to Thompson’s design, while our seasonal planting options can create that layered, textural quality that made her garden so appealing. Multistem trees with beautiful bark interest like the Zelkova serrata that Jo used in the garden with the wonderful frothy perennial planting to create that romantic appeal with foxgloves, delphiniums, Astrantia and Deutzia as well of course those beautiful roses.

Cha No Niwa – Japanese Tea Garden by Kazuyuki Ishihara: Tranquility in Design

The Japanese Tea Garden created by Mr. Kazuyuki Ishihara was another standout that resonated deeply with us. This garden embodied the principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility central to Japanese garden design.

The meticulous attention to detail, from perfectly positioned rocks to carefully pruned trees, created a sense of peaceful contemplation that visitors could feel immediately upon entering the space.  I also loved the sense of arrival into the garden and the journey of cleansing mind and soul through the stages of the garden before the ceremony of tea.

How to bring this to your garden: While we may not all have space for a full tea house, the principles of Japanese garden design can be incorporated into gardens of any size. At Caragh Nurseries, our bonsai collection and Japanese-inspired planting options can help create that sense of serenity. Our Garden Stories Collections, particularly the “Moonlit” and “Shadowplay” themes, draw on similar principles of creating atmospheric, contemplative spaces.  Bringing Japanese Maples, Hornbeams and choosing specimens that have been pruned using the Japanese art of Niwaki to your garden.  Simple shrubs like the pachsysandra and of course those beautiful Iris.

Killik & Co ‘Save for a Rainy Day Garden’ by Baz Grainger: Sustainability in Action

The smaller show garden by Baz Grainger impressed us with its innovative approach to sustainability. This garden demonstrated how beautiful design and environmental responsibility can work hand-in-hand, featuring clever water management systems and drought-resistant planting.  As temperatures rise, plants traditionally found in the South of France may thrive in our more Northern gardens. To adapt to these shifts, the garden showcases resilient ‘future trees’ like Zelkova serrata and Pinus mugo ‘Mughus’, which can endure drought, flooding, and rising temperatures.  A steel water tank on the rear boundary wall collects rainwater runoff. The walls are made from 3D printed material, which produces less waste and CO2 and does not require foundations to be built.  I found the whole concept of this, really interesting and thought provoking and not dissimilar to the concepts we are using in Nourish, the Caragh Nurseries Garden.

How to bring this to your garden: Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at Caragh Nurseries. From our solar power initiatives to our focus on water conservation, we’re committed to environmentally responsible gardening. We can help you incorporate similar principles into your garden through:

• Drought-resistant plant selections
• Rainwater harvesting systems
• Sustainable materials for hard landscaping
• Native planting to support local biodiversity

Our Chelsea Takeaways

What struck us most about this year’s show was the emphasis on gardens that tell a story and create emotional connections—something that aligns perfectly with our “Garden Stories” approach at Caragh Nurseries.

Whether you’re drawn to the elegant, romantic, simplicity of Thompson’s design, the tranquil harmony of Ishihara’s Japanese garden, or the forward-thinking sustainability of Grainger’s space, we can help translate these inspirations into your own garden.

Our design team is ready to bring Chelsea-inspired magic to your outdoor space, creating gardens that aren’t just beautiful but meaningful, sustainable, and perfectly suited to your lifestyle.