Our Top RHS Chelsea 2024 Take Home Ideas
Meeting our customers at The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a highlight of the Agriframes year and the team return buzzing with ideas not only for new products but also looking forward to seeing how the show inspires us all as gardeners.
Of course the magnificent show gardens and extraordinary displays in the Pavilion are not something that many of us would plan to recreate at home, but there are always elements of design, planting ideas or innovative approaches that can be used to bring a little Chelsea magic to your own garden.
Whether you are starting from scratch with a new garden, or just wanting to add an on trend update to you space here are our top 6 take aways from the stunning 2024 show:
1. Seating for contemplation and entertaining
One theme that was a constant across all the designer gardens was the inclusion of some element of seating or outdoor living space. Some had a simple bench in a quiet corner while others were designed around outdoor living and entertaining spaces in the garden – what better place is there to host a special celebration on a glorious summer evening?
"Ideal for an al fresco breakfast or cooling end of the day drink"
Agriframes newly launched Provence Vintage Bistro Set would be ideal for an al fresco breakfast or cooling end of the day drink.
If you’re planning a party or just enjoy long lazy meals with friends then the Provence Pergola creates an instant sense of occasion, especially strung with solar lights or curtains for shade.
2. Texture in planting and hard landscaping
Many of the show gardens such as the Freedom from Torture Garden by John Warland and Emma O’Connell blurred the boundary between planting and paths creating a naturalistic and relaxed feel which would be easy to recreate at home along with a very definite tendency to favour less formal schemes – recreations of wildflower meadows were to be found all across the show!
The new look Agriframes stand uses a variety of materials - timber, stone, gravel, zinc, terracotta – to introduce texture and natural interest which complements the soft colour palette of our garden structures as well as providing a rich canvas for carefully thought-out planting.
Planting directly into gravel alongside paving or paths is a great low maintenance option which will allow plants to naturally colonise and works particularly well for drought tolerant Mediterranean herbs such as lavender or rosemary which will perfume the air around a seating area or as you brush past.
3. Small space gardening
Growing in containers is a really effective way of creating impact throughout the year – just refresh planting to capture things at their best and enjoy exploring the many varieties that will give you colour, berries or even fruit throughout the year – Zinc Planters in a variety of sizes and style will give a really cohesive sophisticated look.
"A really cohesive sophisticated look"
If you draw the eye upwards in a small garden, then the garden seems bigger and obelisks, arches and pergolas offer the chance to maximise your growing space.
All of the show gardens used height to create drama and add another dimension to their scheme in some way – even if you only have enough room for a single container you can still create wow factor with a statement planter and an obelisk – plant with a fragrant rose for a powerful punch of summer scent.
4. Centrepiece structure
There was a definite trend at Chelsea 2024 for every garden to have a stand out centrepiece, whether it is a sculpture, water feature or a structure that can focus the eye – arches, obelisks and gazebos are used as artistic features as well as supporting plants and dividing up the space with colour and finish all adding to the impact. They can still be used for growing plants and dividing up the space.
5. Edimentals
A relatively new word in the garden lexicon, the ‘Edimentals’ trend is still going strong. The concept is to grow plants which are both good to eat and great to look at, particularly when mixed in with more traditional planting in borders and planters.
The ever popular Kitchen Garden display on the Agriframes stand aims to show that even in a small space you can enjoy both beautiful and edible growing with supports which are great looking garden features in their own right.
"The ever popular kitchen garden display"
6. Colour drifts and contrast
Planting on the Agriframes stand was right on trend with ‘tangerine’ being very much the colour of the moment at the 2024 show. We used Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ to create a cohesive look across the zinc planters on the stand and then switched the scheme to cool delicate whites and glaucous green to define the Venetian Gazebo seating area.
"Tangerine was very much the colour of the moment"
Particularly effective were schemes which used bold colour in drifts or as a repeating theme amongst foliage or the more delicate neutrals and along with woodland and wildflower planting – the spectacular Tom Stuart-Smith designed Project Giving Back garden, for our Partners at The National Garden Scheme, featured a sea of cow parsley, white foxgloves and coppiced hazel.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show never fails to delight and it’s hard to imagine that in a few weeks time there will be no trace of the huge Pavilion, the waterfalls or the recreation of a Roman Villa! But we will be back next year ready to spot the small things that can make a huge difference in our own gardens at home.
