RHS Chelsea Flower Show – the most prestigious floral festival in the UK – will celebrate the life of the late Queen in the first event since her passing.
An aptly-named Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration, created by award-winning garden designer Dave Green, will exhibit Queen Elizabeth II's most-beloved plants – including silver birch and Olivia Austin roses. It will also pay homage to the new King – commemorating his coronation with his most favored plants.
It is no secret that delphiniums are the King's most-loved flower – often appearing in Royal residences, including his summer retreat, Highgrove House. However, alongside some light pink and white flowers – planted in memory of Queen Elizabeth – the garden will include camassia and geranium, both of which featured on the King's preference list.
Designer Dave Green sought advice from Sandringham's Head Gardener, Jack Lingfield, to seamlessly celebrate the new monarch's tastes. Sculptor Keziah Burt created a bust of King Charles that will also sit among the flower bed.
Chelsea Flower Show will take place from May 22nd to May 27th on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. With just under three weeks to go, the only images of the Garden of Royal Reflection are CGI impressions, seen above. However, these images offer a glimpse of what visitors (and the rest of the world) can expect before photographs are released.
The Queen was a frequent visitor of the Chelsea Flower Show – visiting even last year in May 2022, four months before her passing.
'Her Majesty became Patron of the Society on accession to the throne in 1952. From an early age, The Queen regularly accompanied her parents to RHS Chelsea Flower Show, visiting the show more than 50 times during her reign, and always took great pleasure in touring the gardens and plant displays and speaking with exhibitors,' the RHS shared in a statement.
'Her Majesty understood the importance of gardening, and there can be no doubt that The Queen and HRH Prince Philip enjoyed the peace and privacy of their gardens at Sandringham, Norfolk, Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, and Buckingham Palace, but they also enjoyed the gardens as a venue for summer garden parties; it is said that no one knew the gardens of Buckingham Palace better than The Queen.'
We await photos of this special garden once Chelsea Flower Show opens to all, but in the meantime, we're reading up on Buckingham Palace's famous royal gardens below.
