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Once our charities and garden designers have had their design accepted by the RHS, then it’s all systems go. There is a huge amount of organisation involved in creating a show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. As former RHS Chelsea Flower Show Manager and RHS Head of Shows Development, our advisory panel member Alexandra Denman is perfectly placed to provide insight into the many things that go into bringing together a successful show garden.
April 8, 2022
Q: Give us a little insight into the commitment it takes to create a Chelsea garden.
A: There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in preparing to stage a garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It takes an organised mind and determined ‘can do’ attitude to successfully bring together all the elements needed to create that fleeting moment of perfection in May.
Once the design has been accepted by the RHS, which usually happens in the previous September, it is full steam ahead and amazing how little time there actually is to get everything ready for the show. There will be details of the design to refine and the design team will have to get to work on sourcing materials and producing any high-cost, bespoke items of sculpture, metal work or stonework. The designer will be working closely with the contractor and plantspeople throughout the process to keep everything on track and to tackle any challenges that arise.
Q: What are some of the main things the designer needs to consider once the application has been approved by the RHS?
A: Sourcing plants and working successfully with the nurseries that will supply them is one of the most important things. Getting plants ready at just the right time and making sure they are good enough is a big challenge. For the larger show gardens, some designers will have taken the risk of starting to grow their plants last summer before their garden was confirmed, as many plants need much longer to grow than the period from October to May. But with the uncertainty of the British weather, when we’ve recently gone from unseasonably warm sunshine to snow and frost within the space of a week, it really is a juggling act. Another challenge for the team is managing the budget, especially at the moment given how much the cost of materials and fuel have gone up and when unexpected jumps in prices go beyond the contingency they have built in.
Q: How important is team-work to the whole process?
A: The run up to the show is a major feat of project management and partnership, and I believe that the success of a garden comes down to all parties working well together. The relationship between designer and contractor is pivotal to delivering the garden and will have been cemented at the stage of applying for the garden. But a round table approach, where everyone including the charity representatives and communications team all stay abreast of everything and share ideas, will really help make the most of the opportunity and ensure the messages are consistent. When everybody has a voice and feels integral to the project, then you are going to get a really good result.
Q: What about designers or charities who haven’t exhibited at Chelsea before? What help is available to them and what should they consider?
A: For the first timer, understanding how Chelsea works is a steep learning curve to say the least. Everything from ordering passes and signage to designing brochures or leaflets needs to be factored in. The RHS has a series of deadlines to help exhibitors stay on track, but it is vital for our charities to get their heads around everything so that they can make the most of the opportunities. For example, gardens have the chance to entertain their guests in the evening – for charities, this is a unique opportunity to invite their key sponsors and donors to a very special event on their garden to boost their fundraising.
Q: How can charities make the most of the opportunity?
A: Planning the PR and communications campaign is a really important element to the whole experience, starting from when the gardens are announced in January and steadily building up all the way to Press Day and beyond. The PGB supported gardens need to have a clear and consistent message that tells the story of their good cause, but then it is about how they get that message across and engage with the public and media, because raising awareness is of course their main reason for being at the show. It is also about aligning story-telling with creating a garden that is horticulturally excellent and will delight the visitors.
Q: What’s it like to finally begin the garden build on site?
A: Once the designers and contractors move on site at Chelsea in early May to start their build, it is a huge team effort. To give an idea of the sheer scale, there are probably up to 100 people working on each large show garden if you include everyone involved in building it, contractors, volunteers and support staff. Yes, Chelsea is about plants, but I feel it is all about the people and how they work together. On the show ground, the ‘Chelsea family’ is very supportive of each other. Everyone wants the show to be as good as it can be and is ready to help out if things don’t go according to plan. It is an intense experience with long days but incredibly rewarding – and addictive! No wonder people want to be involved year after year.
From the time of application through to the show is a process of more than a year. It is all-consuming and everyone is very emotionally invested. There is a lot of pressure particularly on the designers to deliver, and because they really believe in the charities they are working with, they want to do their best. We are really looking forward to seeing the results of all the hard work of this year’s cohort of PGB teams with the finished gardens being unveiled in May before they move on to their final destinations after the show.
Grant-making charity Project Giving Back (PGB) will fund a further cohort of gardens for UK charities at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025, all of which will be permanently relocated after the show to continue to benefit the good causes that have inspired them.
Project Giving Back supports gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and while the deadline (Friday 4th October 2024) for the 2026 Show Garden funding applications has now passed, we’re pleased to announce that we will be extending the deadline for the 2026 All About Plants funding category to Monday 4th November 2024.
Project Giving Back supports gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and we are excited to announce that we are open to applications for funding for all categories listed on our website for 2026.
The annual Gardens for Good Causes Exhibition will be on display at the Garden Museum in London from 13 - 29 September
Since Project Giving Back (PGB) started funding gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, our unique grant-making charity has had a significant impact - not only on the world-famous flower show and the charities who have used the opportunity to raise funds and awareness, but also on the communities where the gardens find permanent homes after the show has closed. All 60 gardens PGB will fund between 2022 and 2026 will have a life after RHS Chelsea in permanent locations around the UK.
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It is 30 years since Mark Fane built his first garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and this year will be the last. As Crocus bows out of the show, Mark reflects on their incredible legacy of designer partnerships that have delighted show visitors and viewers and inspired a new generation of designers, landscapers and nursery folk.
On Tuesday 26 March 2024, Rosie Atkins received an RHS Elizabeth Medal of Honour (EMH), in recognition of her contribution to horticulture. Rosie talks about her career and what receiving the EMH means to her.
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For the last 20+ years I’ve been celebrating IWD in the corporate world … a world where we’ve used the day to celebrate the progress and achievements being made. And that’s been important because, let’s face it, there are still today material discrepancies in the number of women in senior and leadership roles, and in gender pay. Corporates now recognise the issue and, in most cases, are working hard to address the imbalances. However, targets of 40% of women on Boards and an 8% gender pay gap shows there is still a long way to go, and it’s a nut that hasn’t been cracked.
We are delighted to be supporting all six of the All About Plants gardens at RHS Chelsea this May. These small gardens use the power of plants to highlight the work of some amazing charitable causes and showcase new designers and specialist growers and nurseries.
Project Giving Back exists to amplify the work of charitable causes in the UK. We fulfil our purpose by funding gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The gardens are first a catalyst for engagement at the world-renowned Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, before being relocated or repurposed to permanent sites across the UK creating an ongoing legacy and benefit to the causes and their communities.
Trees, water and a heartwarming dose of joy were the main topics of conversation at the RHS Gardens for the Future press conference this week.
Project Giving Back (PGB) will support 15 gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, including seven show gardens and two sanctuary gardens that have been announced by the RHS today.
We are now accepting expressions of interest from charities and designers interested in applying to create a fully funded show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. This follows our recent announcement that Project Giving Back is extending its programme of funding for gardens for good causes until 2026. Here we explain in more detail the stages and timeline for the application process.
Project Giving Back (PGB) intends to continue its support of gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2025 and 2026. Expressions of interest for 2025 funding can be submitted via the Project Giving Back website from Friday 22 September to Friday 3 November 2023. All gardens supported by PGB are repurposed in permanent locations around the UK after the show as ongoing legacies for the causes that inspired them.
We are excited to be back at the Garden Museum in September with a two week exhibition celebrating the 15 gardens supported by PGB at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023. All our 2023 gardens for good causes are being relocated to permanent homes throughout the UK.
My first visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show site during the build always blows my mind. With 25 show gardens this year, the compact site feels full of activity, machinery and a LOT of people in high vis.
Project Giving Back offers a form of creative philanthropy in which good causes receive a gift of opportunity rather than direct funding. Wide ranging benefits include opportunities for extensive press and social media coverage, hosting exclusive events for potential donors and direct engagement with thousands of show visitors. We asked our 2022 garden teams to tell us how their experience at RHS Chelsea 2022 has impacted their charity so far.
Every International Women’s Day, thousands of “Happy IWD” messages are sent and received. Don’t get me wrong, I’m at the front of the queue when it comes to wanting to celebrate the achievements of women, past, present and future, but when it comes to international anything day/week/month, ‘happy’ is not often what I feel. While I applaud organisations for using it as a vehicle for highlighting change still needed, every year, there’s a part of me that feels frustrated because the very existence of a day is evidence that equality is still being strived for.
Speaking at the PGB 2023 Exhibitor Workshop, Katie Tait, Director of Communications at Maggie’s and PGB Mentor, chats to some of our 2022 cohort about the challenges of running successful PR campaigns in the crowded Chelsea media space.
House Nine Design and Project Giving Back helped raise over £15,000 to help those fleeing domestic abuse through the charity Furnishing Futures.
We are delighted to reveal further good causes we will support next year with the announcement of the All About Plants and Sanctuary Gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023.
Following a hugely successful inaugural year in 2022, we will support more gardens for good causes in 2023. They will be presented at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, before being repurposed and relocated to their permanent homes across the UK. These include seven Show Gardens announced by the RHS. All gardens we support are inspired by UK charities and will live on after the show as a lasting legacy for their individual good causes - as teaching gardens, community spaces and other beneficial green spaces.
The Garden Museum will host a special exhibition, from 30 September - 6 October 2022, to celebrate the twelve gardens for good causes supported by Project Giving Back that were presented at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
To help applicants plan a submission for 2024 funding, we are sharing more information about the questions that will be asked in our expression of interest form.
From 1 - 23 September 2022, we will be inviting expressions of interest for garden funding at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.
RHS Chelsea 2022 was a vintage year and Project Giving Back is proud to have played its part. Hattie Ghaui, CEO of Project Giving Back, reflects on the charity's first RHS Chelsea Flower Show, celebrates some of the incredible success stories, and looks ahead to the next milestone in the charity's Chelsea journey.
Hattie Ghaui has been appointed CEO of Project Giving Back, which is now a registered charity.
It is thanks to the generosity of our Founders that Project Giving Back exists to give good causes the opportunity to have a presence at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Here our Project Director, Hattie Ghaui, explains more about how our gardens are funded.
When Project Giving Back was first conceived at the beginning of last year, Rosie Atkins was an obvious choice to be invited to get involved. Rosie began her career in journalism at the Sunday Times and 30 years ago launched Gardens Illustrated magazine. After ten years as editor, she left to become Curator of Chelsea Physic Garden. She has chaired various RHS committees and served on the boards of several charities. Here Rosie tells us what made her want to be part of Project Giving Back and why she thinks gardening and good causes are such a good fit.
We are thrilled to announce the good causes and designers behind four new All About Plants gardens, supported by Project Giving Back at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
Project Giving Back will support 12 gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022. Today we can reveal seven of those gardens, with more to be announced later in January. All gardens supported by Project Giving Back will be unveiled to show visitors and viewers before being relocated to their permanent homes across the UK in summer 2022.
For the first time in the show’s 108-year history, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was held in autumn this year. The sun shone all week and the whole experience was one of relaxed, late summer contentment. We popped along to discover more about how the greatest flower show on Earth offers an unparalleled platform for good causes to tell the world about their work.
We're so pleased to be able to announce a new and unique organisation that will provide funding for gardens inspired by UK charities and not-for-profit organisations at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
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