© RHS / Neil Hepworth

People's Choice Award winner announced at Chelsea Flower Show 2024

The results are in - these are the gardens most loved by visitors to this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Published: May 24, 2024 at 6:58 pm

The judges get to have their say and hand out Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the start of Chelsea show week, but each year, visitors to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and those watching it on TV and online at home, also have the chance to vote for the garden they loved the most. Those with the most public votes receive the coveted BBC / RHS People’s Choice Award for their category.

This year, voting was open for three categories: Show Gardens, Balcony & Container Gardens and the Sanctuary & All About Plants Gardens.

The winners were announced during the BBC TV coverage on the evening of Friday 24 May.

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Winners of the People's Choice Awards at Chelsea Flower Show 2024

Show Garden

Winner: The Octavia Hill Garden for The National Trust and Blue Diamond, designed by Ann-Marie Powell

Designer Ann-Marie Powell, winner of The People's Choice Award 2024 with (left) National Trust Director of Gardens and Parklands Andy Jasper and (right) Blue Diamond MD Alan Roper

Ann-Marie's garden is designed as a community garden on a former brownfield site, accessible to all and made up of various seating areas and viewpoints, which Ann-Marie calls 'outdoor sitting rooms'. The garden features hand-carved oak benches, a large metal canopy, a stream and pool, and vibrant planting in bright, clashing colours.

Discover our full guide to the garden

The garden was also voted the favourite of the RHS's junior judges, who earlier in the week presented her with the very first RHS Children’s Choice Award.

“It’s amazing to win this award," says Ann-Marie, "because the garden is designed for people to enjoy nature and plants and every good thing that they do for us and so for the public to recognise that and support it - is just ace! I’ve loved gardening and plants for so many years, I think, if I can just share a bit of the joy I feel from gardening then that will help someone else make their life a little bit better.

Ann-Marie picks out her top three things in The Octavia Hill Garden for Gardens Illustrated

"I think Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust, would love the fact we have won the People’s Choice Award as it is recognition that the public approve of the work she championed all those years ago, to celebrate the joy, benefits and importance of gardens and plants for everyone. It means so much for me and the hundreds of people who have worked on the garden to win this award."

The designer continues: "My husband has supported my career for decades and I am just thrilled that, although he is very ill, he is still around to see me win this award. I know he will be very proud and I couldn’t have done this without him.” 

Listen to Ann-Marie talk about her People's Choice Award-winning design and her dream garden on the Talking Gardens podcast

Sanctuary / All About Plants

Winner: The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden by first time designers Will Dutch & Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen

The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024. Designed by Will Dutch and Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen. Sponsored by Project Giving Back. All About Plants.
The Pulp Friction – Growing Skills Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 © Neil Hepworth

This forest garden takes as its model the most productive organic system in Britain – deciduous woodland. It consists of trees and shrubs, with bushes below and a ground layer of perennials beneath. All the plants are edible or useful and work together to support each other via soil improvement and shelter from the elements.

The central feature of the garden is a hoop constructed from recycled fire hoses donated by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. The circle below represents a place where everyone can come together. After the show, the garden will be relocated to Bestwood, Nottingham to be used as a community garden.

Here's the full list of Sanctuary Gardens

Balcony / Container Garden

Winner: Children with Cancer UK's ‘Raines Repurposed’ Garden, designed by Thomas Clarke

Children With Cancer UK ‘Raines Repurposed’ at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Designed by Thomas Clarke. Balcony Garden.
Children With Cancer UK ‘Raines Repurposed’ at RHS Chelsea Flower Show © Tim Sandall

In this balcony garden, a shaded seating area provides a place to relax and enjoy soft mostly evergreen planting, including a statement multi-stem yew (Taxus baccata). The garden has many repurposed elements, including the seating and the handmade floor tiles. Designer Thomas is just 24 years old.

Here's all the Balcony and Container Gardens

See all of the medals awarded at Chelsea Flower Show.

Head to our dedicated Chelsea Flower Show hub page

This year at Chelsea, the judges awarded the Best Show Garden accolade to The Muscular Dystrophy UK Garden, designed by Ula Maria.

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