DECADES OF CHELSEA
The world’s gardening catwalk for design, trends and plants, RHS Chelsea Flower Show draws our attention each year. It is known for new horticultural innovations and ideas, but there are also key styles and plants that have stood the test of time. There are often themes running through the show, but the main transformation over the decades has been one of working with, instead of against nature, and to appreciate gardens for both their beauty and their wider benefits.
Nineties show gardens
In the early 1990s, the show gardens embraced the country-house style – a look inspired by the great duo of English gardeners, Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West. White gardens; red gardens; challenging vistas and belvederes; old-fashioned roses and herbaceous borders were reproduced from the manor houses of England. The show gardens were constructed with specific viewpoints, rather than to be immersed in as a journey – which is
