We've already discovered the first two gardens to debut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2027 next May, and now the third show garden has been revealed. Chris Beardshaw will be designing the Prostate Cancer UK Garden, which will be his first Chelsea garden since 2023.
Drawing on the lived experiences of men affected by prostate cancer – the most common cancer in the UK, affecting as many as 1 in 8 men – the garden will reflect the vital role of conversation, connection and support in helping people navigate the disease.
Chris's garden is one of three sponsored by Project Giving Back (PGB), which is making a surprise return for 2027 after previously announcing it would extend its support only for 2025 and 2026.
The designer
Chris Beardshaw is a landscape designer, plantsman, broadcaster and author, and 10-time Chelsea Gold Medallist.
The garden has a personal significance for Chris, whose father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"I understand the uncertainty and emotional impact the disease can have on individuals and the people around them," Chris said.
"At its heart, this garden is about connection. It's not that men don't have a voice – they do – but they don't always have the space, or feel able, to express what they're experiencing. Often, the hardest conversation is the one that happens before a diagnosis, when fear, uncertainty and deeply ingrained ideas about what it means to be strong can prevent people from speaking openly about their concerns or seeking help.
"If this garden – and its legacy beyond RHS Chelsea – encourages even a few more conversations, while helping people affected by prostate cancer feel seen, heard and supported, then it will have achieved something truly meaningful."
The Prostate Cancer UK Garden
In creating the garden, Chris and his team have spoken to men living with prostate cancer, their loved ones, and Prostate Cancer UK's specialist nurses, using their insights to inform every aspect of the design. The garden will use storytelling, bespoke artworks and immersive, resilient planting to represent their experiences and encourage open conversation.
The planting
The Prostate Cancer UK Garden will have a formal framework of pleached trees, each deliberately touching the next, representing the structure and support often sought by men affected by cancer.
There will be softly flowing, layered planting to reflect the care, compassion and emotional support often provided by partners, families, friends and carers throughout a prostate cancer journey.
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As a counterpoint to the garden's ordered framework, Chris and his team have added contrasting foliage forms and texture for richness and depth, and softer floral tones. The colour palette will include greens, blues, purples and whites, with carefully placed elements of pink and yellow.
Overall, the effect will be calm and immersive, with plants chosen for their character, seasonality and place in a resilient, biodiverse planting community.
The design
In the heart of the garden will be the Peony Pavilion; a bespoke cedar structure designed by Chris Beardshaw Design Studio. Named for the strength, endurance and resilience of the peony, the pavilion will be an open and welcoming space, and natural setting for conversation, drawing on the unfolding form of the peony flower.
Visitors to the garden will be able to see bespoke furniture and artworks designed and developed by Chris's studio. Sculptural tree forms will symbolise the stark reality that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, rising to one in four among Black men.
Elsewhere, bespoke seating and art take inspiration from medical science and research, their complex patterns becoming artistic elements within the garden.
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Prostate Cancer UK
The Prostate Cancer UK charity is the biggest public funder of prostate cancer research in the UK, working to create a world in which no man dies of prostate cancer, and every man has the power to navigate it.
"As one of the best-loved events in the nation, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will give Prostate Cancer UK a unique and powerful platform to spark lifesaving conversations about the UK's most common cancer, and we are hugely grateful to Project Giving Back for supporting us to make this happen," said Laura Kerby, the charity's chief executive.
"We're honoured, too, that Chris has woven his personal experiences, and those of our supporters, into this beautiful design. Our garden will be thought-provoking, highlighting the reality that 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer, and that Black men face double that risk. But it will also be a peaceful space where men and their loved ones can find quiet moments of comfort and connection amidst the wonder and excitement of Chelsea.
"If you've been affected by prostate cancer, we're here to give you the confidence and clarity you need to navigate the disease. I'm happy that our mission is reflected in the garden."
The future of the garden
After RHS Chelsea, the garden will be relocated to Edinburgh as part of a collaboration with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. Together, these venues will honour the legacy of the Prostate Cancer UK Garden by creating further green spaces for conversation and connection.
