5 practical small garden ideas to take home from Chelsea Flower Show, including the 70% rule
Why Chelsea's compact spaces are the real stars of the show
As breathtaking as Chelsea's show gardens are, they don't always translate to everyday spaces. For most gardeners, more compact designs – from small show gardens to the balcony and container section – offer more achievable inspiration.
We've carefully scanned this year's showcase and spoken to its garden designers to uncover the smartest planting ideas and space-saving tricks for smaller outdoor spaces. These ideas will help you make the most out of every inch.
The 70% rule
Ollie Pike, the designer of the romantic, rose-filled Whittard of Chelsea Garden, has created a beautiful space with the use of oversized containers. What might seem counterintuitive is exactly what a small garden needs.
"Putting bigger things into a smaller space can make the space itself feel bigger," he tells us on press day. To get the best effective, let them take over your space. 70% of your floor space should be inhabited by large pots, Ollie says. Fill in gaps with smaller pots and you have a space full of plant life at varying heights.
Shade-loving ferns
Small gardens by nature tend to receive more shade than large, open spaces, which is why choosing plants that happily grow without much sun exposure is essential. One plant in particular is appearing all across Chelsea this year – including in the Tokonoma Garden pictured here: ferns.
Monty Don recently made a compelling case for these frothy forest dwellers. In a recent Instagram reel with Barbour ahead of the show, the gardener was asked to name an underrated plant. "Ferns get bad press," he said. "They’re seen as a bit dull and to do with darkness. But they’re exquisite and beautiful."
Corner planters
Balconies may be the smallest domestic outdoor spaces, but with a few clever design choices, even they can feel like green sanctuaries. The Transient Garden, designed by Rebecca Lloyd Jones, is a perfect example. Her scheme incorporates smart space-saving features like these discreet corner planters.
These helpful containers allow you to grow plants without taking up precious floor space. "Using corner planters really helps to zone the space," she tells us. "You end up with a little bit more space, and it feels more open."
Vertical planting
Another trick Rebecca used in her tiny balcony garden is climbers. A rambling rector rose and a honeysuckle grow upwards on poles, leaving space below for furniture and other essentials.
"Vertical space is gold dust," Rebecca enthuses. "You want to use that. If you've only got a 5x2 balcony or less, utilising that green vertical space means you can give yourself some privacy and it's more immersive. It makes it a nicer, softer space to take in."
Repetition and complexity
According to Joe Carey, co-designer of the Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City small show garden, one particular design technique is particularly helpful in small spaces. "Balancing repetition and complexity – those two ingredients are really important for a small garden," he says.
In practice, this means choosing your colours and repeating them throughout the garden, and it's a practice Joe has used in his Chelsea design. "We have lots of things in the same colour palette, but we repeat that colour across lots of different textures so you get quite a sensory feast out of a small space"
Wanda Sachs is the Multiplatform Writer for Country Living and House Beautiful, exploring the latest in gardening, wildlife and sustainable living alongside interiors and property. She is particularly interested in human-interest stories, the intersection of design and pop culture, and the evolving relationship between urban and rural life. Previously, she served as Associate Editor at The Berliner in Berlin, where she reported on culture and fashion. Wanda studied English and German at the Goethe University Frankfurt and Exeter University.
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