Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Alice Vincent

At the Chelsea flower show, foliage is in. Which bodes well for small gardens

Ula Maria’s Muscular Dystrophy Forest Bathing Garden at Chelsea
Ula Maria’s Muscular Dystrophy Forest Bathing Garden reflects a shift at Chelsea towards ‘greenery over bombastic colour’. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The Observer

The biggest hoorah of the horticultural year is coming to an end, and if you listen closely you might hear tiny sighs of relief from the industry. The Chelsea flower show is a bun fight: glorious, indulgent, exhausting, complicated and messy in its perfection – but a huge source of inspiration for the rest of us, even those with tiny gardens.

Beyond Main Avenue and the big show gardens lie the smaller container and balcony gardens, categories introduced in recent years in a bid to make the show more accessible. This is an important nod to the fact that terraces, balconies and little courtyards are just as valid as gardens the size of a basketball court.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.