Press Feature: Good Housekeeping

Foreword from Katherine:

This is an extract from an article by Good Housekeeping on Chelsea Flower Show trends for 2023. I was interviewed along with other garden designers such as Camellia Taylor and Martyn Wilson. Read the full article here.

Chelsea Flower Show garden designers explain the trends to expect for 2023

Including how to channel the themes in your own garden.

Kelly Buckley

Re-evaluating busy lifestyles in the wake of the pandemic, the topic of sustainability and last year's hottest UK summer on record have all had an effect on trends for the upcoming RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Drought tolerant planting, making eco conscious choices and using nature for good mental health reoccurred in every conversation we had with five garden designers, who are all displaying at Chelsea this year.

Chelsea Flower Show trends for 2023

Here, the designers take us through the key gardening trends we can expect ahead of the show (which kicks off in a matter of days now!) and offer expert guidance on what to plant in your own garden, so you can channel the themes at home.

Trend: Drought tolerant plants

Drought tolerant plants and cleverly concise design using height and zoning creates a sanctuary for reading in, something that will work in the smallest city spaces.

“Last summer we saw temperatures of 38 degrees and plants were getting frazzled” says Katherine Holland, who is a first time designer at Chelsea, bringing The Folio Society's Reading Room Garden to the exhibition. The design is part of this year’s Balcony and Container Gardens category and encourages a “sense of calm away from technology”

“I think we are more aware of the climate changing and the need for plants that don’t need as much water," she says. “But there is also a practical issue; when people lead busy lives, go to work, there’s no point having plants that need watering twice a day, and if you live in a flat, having to carry water through the home is also impractical."

What to plant: Feijoa Sellowiana

"Feijoa Sellowiana is drought tolerant, evergreen and has spectacular purple-pink flowers in midsummer," says Katherine.

She also explains that the plant is ideal for growing in a container (particularly in multi-stem form, for added structural interest), in sheltered gardens and in milder coastal locations.

Just remember, "it's borderline winter hardy so would need protection in more exposed areas during the colder season," she adds.

Trend: Tranquil colours

The colour scheme of Katherine’s garden will be calming and tranquil with green-grey foliage, just a pop of colour coming from flowers. This green colour-led sense of calm reappears in Camellia Taylor’s ‘sensory’ design titled The Natural Affinity Garden, part of the All About Plants category.