The eight Sanctuary Gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, sponsored by the Newt in Somerset, include gardens from Chelsea veterans such Kazuyuki Ishihara alongside designers such as Naomi Slade, Ed Barsley and Giulio Giorgi.
You may also like
- Sign up to our Chelsea Flower Show newsletter
- Everything you need to know about designing a Chelsea garden
- Tickets, dates and information for Chelsea Flower Show
What is a Sanctuary Garden at Chelsea?
The Sanctuary gardens at Chelsea are smaller gardens that highlight the benefits of gardening on our wellbeing. Sustainable and wildlife friendly planting is central to each design. Several of the gardens are being sponsored by the grant-giving charity, Project Giving Back.
More from Chelsea 2024
- The full list of Show Gardens at Chelsea Flower Show
- Our Chelsea Flower Show hub page
- All the All About Plants gardens in one place
- Full list of Balcony and Container gardens
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 Sanctuary Gardens
Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden
Designers: Naomi Slade and Ed Barsley
Sponsor: Flood Re
Theme Mitigating the effects of flooding in family homes.
Contractors Belderbos Landscapes, in association with Water Artisans.
Contact floodre.co.uk
Flood risk and mitigation are central themes to Naomi Slade and Ed Barsley’s garden, which is modelled on a domestic family garden. “The garden is designed to be inviting, immersive and relatable,” says Naomi. “While at the same time it is full of ideas for managing heavy rainfall and coping with flooding.” These include dense planting which slows water flow and methods of water capture and storage.
One in four homes in the UK is at risk of flooding and the garden aims to show people how they can make their gardens more resilient. The pond is designed to rise and fall, and a large water feature created using vintage galvanised tanks doubles as ornamental pool and water storage. Tough moisture-loving plants, including ferns and pollarded willows feature heavily, and a large quince tree provides a focal point.
“Our garden highlights the importance of seeing water as a resource rather than a threat,” says Ed. A swale running through the space becomes a stream, carrying water into the pond. Rain chains carry water from the house into storage tanks and a raised bridge allows for movement through the garden in wet weather. It is a challenging design, but one they’re looking forward to building.
MOROTO no IE
Sponsor: G.lion
Designer: Kazuyuki Ishihara
Chelsea favourite Kazuyuki Ishihara is also back in 2024, with a garden that makes him happy. By living in this garden with only the things he likes, he and his family can feel content. Unusually for a Chelsea garden, it will feature autumn leaves as well as pines, irises, and mosses.
The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors
Designer: John Warland and Emma O’Connell
Sponsor: Project Giving Back supporting Freedom From Torture
Theme A restorative space for survivors of torture.
Contractor: Living Landscapes
Contact emmaoconnell.com
Inspired by the horticultural therapy sessions held at the Freedom from Torture (FFT) headquarters in London, where it will be relocated, this garden by designers John Warland and Emma O’Connell will be a space of sanctuary and restoration for torture survivors. “Gardens are for people and the focal point will be the sunken seating area and handmade clay oven,” says John. “A place for survivors to relax, share and break bread together.”
The arid landscape features sculptural willow waves that create zones for reflection while a sinuous water rill offers both irrigation and a soothing sound. The planting is naturalistic and inspired by the native flora found in the homelands of some of the FFT survivors, including figs and pomegranates. All of the planting, from Beth Chatto’s Plants, is drought tolerant and adapted to low-fertility soils.
Every element of the garden is bespoke and there is potential for variations in the end results; the willow’s colour could be anything from fresh green to deep red, depending on the weather. “We also hope to have a river of poppies running through the gravelled areas,” says John, “but one downpour and their flowers will be gone.”
World Child Cancer’s Nurturing Garden
Designed as a sensory haven, this garden brings joy, hope and escapism through nature for children undergoing cancer treatment, no matter where they live in the world.
Sponsor: Project Giving Back supporting World Child Cancer
Designer: Giulio Giorgi
Contractor: Landesigns Landscaping Services
The garden's permanent home will be in a 'Home from Home' of UK charity Young Lives vs Cancer, who align with World Child Cancer's belief that every child with cancer should have the support and help that they need.
The Bridgerton Garden
Designer: Holly Johnston
Contractor: Stewart Landscape Construction
Sponsor: Netflix
This garden is inspired by the hit TV series Bridgerton and is a visual metaphor for the character of Penelope Featherington and her evolution from wallflower to muse. Her wallflower-like character in the upcoming series, created and produced by Shondaland and Netflix, is reflected in the garden's moongate, which leads to water feature and sunken seating area.
Expect a sophisticated palette of lilacs, blues and rich pinks.
Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden
Designer: Helen Olney
Sponsor: Burma Skincare Initiative with the support of: Sanofi, British Dermatological Nursing Group and The No7 Beauty Company
Theme The landscape of Myanmar.
Contractor: Conquest Creative Spaces
Contact helenolney.com
Helen Olney’s first ever show garden is a collaboration between clinicians in the UK and the charity Burma Skincare Initiative. The garden has a naturalistic, tranquil feel with a waterfall flowing over moss-covered rocks into a stream that runs past a ruined stupa – a traditional spiritual structure found in Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Above a pond, planted with Nymphaea alba, a rustic stilt house offers views across the garden.
The garden is a celebration of the work done by the charity to provide excellent dermatological care to the people of Myanmar, and reclaimed materials, including crumbling red bricks and weathered stone, create layers of texture to demonstrate the lived experiences of people with skin diseases.
“The most challenging element has been the planting,” says Helen, “to find a palette of plants that are found in Burma and will also grow in the UK.” The naturalistic planting includes Acer davidii, Anemone rivularis and Selinum wallichianum, and will provide food and shelter for wildlife at Dulwich College, where the garden will be relocated after the show as part of a wild area development.
The Boodles National Gallery Garden
Designer: Catherine MacDonald
Sponsor: Boodles
Theme A celebration of art for The National Gallery.
Contractor: Landform Consultants
Contact landformconsultants.co.uk
“Art and gardens have been linked for millennia,” says designer Catherine MacDonald, whose painterly garden celebrates the bicentennial of The National Gallery. Catherine’s aim was to “paint with plants,” recreating aspects of pointillism and impressionism through the use of plant forms and textures to emulate brushstrokes in paintings by Georges Seurat and Claude Monet.
Starting with a palette of greens, inspired by Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond, warm tones from Dahlia ‘Franz Kafka’ and Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ wind through the space, adding highlights in between grasses and white umbels. “We wanted to create a real sense of joy
and we hope to achieve this with the bold, jewel-rich tones,” she says.
Taxus baccata topiary are stars of the show, emulating trees found in works by Van Gogh or Cezanne, while sculptural arches provide perspective. Textured metal water features run through the space, playing with light and reflections, and adding to the painterly qualities. Catherine is excited to see this collaborative effort come together. “There’s nothing more wonderful than stepping back, when no more can be done, and feeling that sense of shared achievement.”
Killik & Co Money Doesn't Grow on Trees Garden
Sponsor Killick & Co, Allgreen
Designer Baz Grainger
Contractor Landform Consultants
The Killik & Co garden is a scented, immersive haven in which to relax and unwind. The design creates a supportive environment for families to talk and spend time together over a lifetime. A path of limestone and oak pavers winds through the garden and is wide enough to encourage conversation while walking together. It leads to a central water well that is fed by an aqueduct running along the top of a limestone and steel pergola that shelters a communal dining area, perfect for family gatherings. It is designed to be a family garden that takes away the stress associated with managing finances.