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The garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show was designed to feel like a retreat. It was calm, immersive, and deeply personal, built around the idea of a secret sanctuary. While the space itself was large, the principles behind the design can be applied at any scale. Here’s how to recreate that atmosphere in your own garden.

Use Yew to Frame and Anchor

Yew provides structure, elegance, and a sense of permanence. In our Chelsea garden, it formed a crisp green backdrop that allowed the colour and texture of the roses to shine. It also helped to define spaces within the garden, enclosing beds and creating a sense of order.

At home, you can use yew to edge borders, form low hedges, or enclose seating areas. It gives clarity to softer planting and creates that sense of a garden within a garden.

Plant in Groups for Bigger Impact

For a more cohesive and dramatic effect, plant roses in groups of three or five. This technique creates the illusion of a single, fuller shrub and allows each variety to make more of a visual statement.

We planted varieties such as Desdemona™ (Auskindling) and Boscobel (Auscousin) in large swathes to create an eye-catching effect. This approach also helps establish rhythm across the garden, especially when repeated at intervals. When planted in multiples, the character of each rose—whether soft and blousy or bold and structured - becomes more defined and expressive.

Create Arches to Add Height and Movement

Arches offer an elegant way to introduce height and guide the flow through your garden. In our Chelsea display, rose-covered arches provided a sense of movement and enclosure, encouraging visitors to walk slowly and discover new views.

To recreate this look at home, choose rambling roses that are well-suited to archways. Ghislaine de Féligonde is a beautiful option, with soft clusters of apricot and cream blooms that shift in tone as they age. For a more compact and reliable option, consider an English Ramblers such as The Albrighton Rambler™ (Ausmobile) which has a gentle habit and is ideal for creating that airy, romantic effect without overwhelming smaller structures.

Their soft fragrance, relaxed form and generous flowering bring a sense of grace and nostalgia that works beautifully in an intimate garden setting.

Combine Different Colours and Flower Forms

Part of what made the Chelsea garden feel so alive was the mixture of colours and flower shapes working together in harmony. Think of it as creating a conversation between the plants.

For example, Tottering-by-Gently (Auscartoon) adds a light, informal feel with its open, single yellow blooms, while Olivia Rose Austin® (Ausmixture) provides a gentle counterpoint with her classic, cupped flowers in soft mid-pink. When planted together, they offer contrast in both form and colour, creating subtle drama without clashing.

Choosing varieties with different flower types keeps the garden interesting, and mixing hues helps create a more natural, layered effect.

Add a Focal Point to Encourage Stillness

A strong focal point draws the eye and encourages pause. In the Chelsea garden, a simple fountain formed the heart of the space, surrounded by sculptural elements and carefully chosen planting.

You don’t need a large feature to create the same effect. A birdbath, urn, or even a seat nestled within a rose border can act as a visual anchor. Sculptures are also a powerful way to add personality and meaning.

Choose something that reflects the tone you want your garden to have whether it be peaceful, playful, or reflective and place it where it naturally draws attention.

Build a Garden That Evolves as You Move

One of the strengths of our Chelsea display was how the garden unfolded gradually, offering new combinations and views from every angle. It was a space that encouraged wandering, with each step revealing something fresh.

To create this sense of discovery in your own garden, combine shrub roses, climbers, ramblers and standard roses to build depth and variety. Think about layering height, colour and scent so that each area has its own personality. The result will be a space that feels generous, immersive and always in motion.

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