The Balcony and Container Gardens return to RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2026, with nine small-space gardens - five container gardens and four balcony gardens.
The category is all about helping emerging designers get to Chelsea. The intention behind the designs is to offer ideas and inspiration for people with limited space and resources and to demonstrate how smaller spaces can assist in the conservation of local wildlife at home, while also highlighting how a garden, however small, can be good for our health.
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Balcony and Container Gardens at Chelsea Flower Show 2026
The Seasalt Painted Garden
Designer: Lynn James
Sponsor: Seasalt
Contractor: Cobham Court Landscaping
Taking inspiration from the mid-century modern artists known as the St Ives School, the garden is set within a courtyard adjoining an artist’s studio. It blends bold colours with recycled materials, echoing artists’ need for ingenuity and resourcefulness.
The Whittard of Chelsea Garden
Designer: Ollie Pike
Sponsor: Whittard of Chelsea
Contractor: Peak Landscapes and Yorkshire Water Features
For Whittard's 140th birthday, this garden will join nature and tea together in a Chelsea courtyard sanctuary. The planting features many of the ingredients used in Whittard's infusions.
Alzheimer’s Society: Microbes and Minds Garden
Designer: Tina Worboys
Sponsor: Alzheimer's Society
Contractor: Big Fish Landscapes
Showing how gardens can be used in aiding rehabilitation, this garden is inspired by the rural orchards of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. It tells the story of apple cider vinegar and highlights its gut health benefits. At the centre of the garden is an apple tree representing ‘The Mother’ – a naturally occurring bacteria formed during fermentation.
The Sightsavers Garden: we start with sight but we don't stop there
Designers: Peter Karn, Janice Molyneux and Sarah Fisher
Sponsor: Belonging Forum
Contractor: Castle Landscapes
Inclusion, accessibility and belonging are the key themes of this garden, which features natural materials, multi-sensory planting and a central wheelchair turning circle. It welcomes all visitors, inviting them to slow down, pause, connect and to imagine a more inclusive and sustainable world.
Flood Re: Contain the Rain Garden
Designer: John Howlett
Sponsor: Flood Re
Contractor: Acacia Gardens
This urban inner-city garden is inspired by traditional Persian, Moorish and Islamic design and highlights sustainable and practical water management. The lush planting keeps the garden cool in hotter temperatures, while the permeable surfaces with water storage help manage excess rainwater.
A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge
Designer: Katerina Kantalis
Sponsor: Viking
Contractor: Phil Sutton Landscapes Ltd
Both a private sanctuary and a welcoming space for friends and family, this balcony is designed for a well-travelled, retired creative couple. It manages to squeeze in flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit arranged within the tiny space.
The Transient Garden
Designer: Rebecca Lloyd Jones
Sponsor: Garden Club London
Contractor: Garden Club London
All of the elements of this balcony garden are modular, lightweight, and designed to be moved by two people – reflecting the increasingly temporary and mobile nature of modern living.
Hedgerow in the Sky - Tech Mahindra
Designers: Sarah Mayfield & Monika Greenhough
Sponsor: Tech Mahindra
Contractor: Cobham Court Landscaping
Inspired by the designers’ love of British hedgerows and concern for their decline, Hedgerow in the Sky - Tech Mahindra invites visitors to notice wildlife and nurture biodiversity. The balcony features a backdrop made of shou sugi ban (the ancient Japanese wood preservation technique) and layered planting that mimics the structure of hedgerows.
Kennedys' Independent Property Agents: Tales from the Riverbank Balcony Garden
Designers: Susie Kennedy & Kate Henning
Sponsor: Kennedys' Independent Property Agents
Contractor: Big Fish Landscapes
This balcony is imagined as a fully functioning garden set on a floating longboat home. The garden features a dipping tank, cooking area and edible plants on the boat roof.
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