May 2026 – Dale Walker

I liked all the gardens at Chelsea and that’s a problem

My main takeaway from Chelsea this year was that I liked almost all of the gardens and I wish I didn’t. Sure, some I liked more than others, but no single garden genuinely shocked me, confused me, challenged me, or made me recoil slightly and mutter to myself, “what on Earth were they thinking there?”Continue reading “I liked all the gardens at Chelsea and that’s a problem”

Thoughts on Chelsea

I have mixed feelings about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show; and, in truth, about all flower and garden shows. On one hand, their inherent wastefulness and ultra-short-termism sit uneasily with me. Entire landscapes are designed, constructed, planted, photographed, celebrated, dismantled, and dispersed within the space of a few days. Gardens that appear timeless are, inContinue reading “Thoughts on Chelsea”