The RHS and The King’s Foundation are creating a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 to encourage the nation to get curious about gardening. The King's Foundation Curious Garden will highlight the huge contribution plants make to the health of people, places and planet.
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Horticulturist, author and TV Presenter Frances Tophill will design the garden - her first at Chelsea.
Joining Frances on her journey to create the garden will be The King’s Foundation Ambassador, Sir David Beckham, and RHS and The King’s Foundation Ambassador, Alan Titchmarsh CBE.
Frances is known for her sustainable and accessible approach to gardening, and regularly uses recycled objects to make beautiful spaces, including in the garden that she created for BBC Gardeners' World Live in 2022, which won a Platinum Medal and Best Show Garden. Her Chelsea garden will showcase lots of take-home ideas for people to grow more plants and create beautiful pockets of nature, whatever the size of their space. “I’m thrilled to be working with everyone involved to bring my first Chelsea garden to life," she said. "And really explore my own curiosity about plants and their vital role in bringing health to people and to planet.”
Sir David, who regularly shares his joy of gardening via social media, said: "My love for the countryside started when I was a child visiting my grandparents. I’ve experienced how rewarding gardening can be and that’s why I’m looking forward to working with The RHS and The King’s Foundation on their Curious Garden at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. I hope we inspire people to get outside into nature and to try something new.”
Elsewhere at the show, a David Austin rose named in Sir David's honour will also be launched. Commissioned by Sir David’s daughter Harper to mark his 50th birthday, the new cultivar has luminous white blooms tinged with a soft blush and a complex fragrance with notes of banana, honeyed musk and hints of nougat, clove and myrrh. Rosa Sir David Beckham (= ‘Ausa34b16’) will then be available to buy, with £2.50 from each sale going to The King’s Foundation.
Alan Titchmarsh, CBE said: “Aside from celebrating the real joy that gardening brings to our lives, we will be highlighting how simply growing more plants helps mitigate both the biodiversity and climate crises and, therefore, why gardeners, from enthusiastic new gardeners to incredible skilled horticulturists, are more important today than ever.”
Garden apprentices and trainees from The King’s Foundation’s gardens and the RHS will be invited to be involved with the Chelsea Garden. The garden will also celebrate craftmanship and the specialist traditional skills of The King’s Foundation students and graduates.
The final destination for the garden after the show will be aimed at young adults and bring nature to an urban setting, and will be announced in 2026. The design for the garden will be unveiled early next year.
