Guide to the Competition Categories of the Chelsea Flower Show 2025
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 will feature a diverse range of competition categories, celebrating excellence in garden design, horticulture, and floral displays. Each category highlights different aspects of creativity, sustainability, and craftsmanship in the gardening world.
1. Show Gardens
The most prestigious category, featuring large-scale, immersive gardens designed by world-renowned landscape architects and designers. These gardens often carry strong messages about sustainability, mental well-being, or social issues.
Awards Given:
Best Show Garden
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
2. Sanctuary Gardens
These gardens focus on tranquility, relaxation, and personal well-being. They are designed as places of escape and healing, often incorporating water features, lush planting, and secluded seating areas.
Awards Given:
Best Sanctuary Garden
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
3. All About Plants Gardens
A category that celebrates plants as the main focus rather than landscaping elements. These gardens are designed by specialist plant growers and botanical experts, often highlighting biodiversity and conservation efforts.
Awards Given:
Best All About Plants Garden
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
4. Balcony & Container Gardens
This category demonstrates how small urban spaces can be transformed into beautiful gardens, perfect for city dwellers with limited space. These designs focus on vertical gardening, container planting, and innovative space-saving solutions.
Awards Given:
Best Balcony & Container Garden
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
5. The Great Pavilion
This is the heart of the Chelsea Flower Show, showcasing the best plant nurseries, growers, and florists from around the world. It features spectacular floral exhibits, rare plant collections, and cutting-edge horticultural research.
Awards Given:
Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion
Best New Plant Introduction
President’s Award
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
6. Floristry and Floral Design
A category dedicated to creative and artistic floral arrangements, featuring both traditional and modern techniques in flower arranging.
Awards Given:
RHS Florist of the Year
RHS Young Florist of the Year
Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, and Bronze Medals
7. RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year
A special award recognizing the most innovative new plant introduction of the year. It highlights breakthroughs in breeding, sustainability, and unique aesthetic appeal.
Award Given:
Chelsea Plant of the Year
8. RHS Children's Choice Award
Introduced in 2024, this category allows young judges to select their favorite garden based on creativity, engagement, and appeal to children.
Award Given:
RHS Children's Choice Award
9. Construction Awards
These awards recognize the best craftsmanship and garden construction, rewarding the teams that bring the designs to life with precision and expertise.
Awards Given:
Best Construction for Show Gardens
Best Construction for Sanctuary Gardens
The Chelsea Flower Show 2025 will continue to celebrate the finest achievements in garden design, floristry, and horticulture. Whether showcasing large-scale landscape masterpieces or innovative small-space solutions, each category highlights the power of plants to inspire and transform spaces.
