A few four-legged friends
Dogs are not allowed at RHS Chelsea, unless they are working in some capacity. Country Life did have some four-legged visitors yesterday, who were all doing important security work, we were assured...
'We're the only veg people. Veg is very underrepresented at Chelsea'
Rosie met up with Kate Cotterill, co-owner of female-founded heirloom vegetable-seed company She Grows Veg.
What is She Grows Veg?
'We only sell heirloom varieties because they're the most beautiful and the most flavoursome. That's what we're obsessed with.'
'Half of our job is actually helping people to grow and succeed, so we have lots of help content. All of the seed packets have a QR code on the back that takes you to a YouTube video on how to grow it. That's how we all learn how to do things these days.
'We're trying to inspire people with our exhibit, which is called "Feast" this year, and it's all around the flavour of heirlooms. You've stumbled into a fantasy woodland scenario, and the wooden creatures have fled, but this is their table and the feast they were having before we all turned up. What we've got planted around in the woodland here, we've actually got cutting flowers and grasses interspersed with vegetables, because that's how we're all meant to be growing now biodiversity is king.'
How did you start the business?
'I had a 25 year career in marketing, and I was running a marketing agency. And on my day off, I went and did a garden-design course. I've always loved growing-my-own and veg gardening and basically sat down on day one of my garden design course and sat next to my co-founder Lucy [Hutchings]. We got on like a house on fire and we stayed in touch for 6-7 years.'
'And then she came to me having shared her veg on Instagram, she was growing lots of mad varieties of veg, and she came to me saying "well all of the people that are following me are saying they want their seeds and they're weird-and-wonderful ones that aren't available in the UK yet". And I did some market research and saw there was actually a market for it, so I quit my job. Lucy was terrified that I'd done that and we just tried and that was 2.5 years ago.'
'This is now our third year at Chelsea. We've gone from a team of two to a team of 48 in 2.5 years. We're the only veg people. Veg is very underrepresented at Chelsea. You see it in some of the trade stands and you know, the greenhouses and things like that, but not a dedicated proper celebration, not properly waving the flag for veg, which is what we do.'
'They're very pretty and they're also delicious'
Chard and viola at the She Grows Veg 'Feast' stand.
Three best heirloom vegetables to start with?
'A tomato is a really nice way to appreciate heirlooms because the flavours are so much better with an heirloom tomato. So definitely a tomato.'
'The Swiss chard that we talked about, so peppermint chard, just because it's so easy and it's year-round colour. So you can be harvesting all year round.'
'And I think probably the third one is our drying corn, which you can see sort of draped there, that actually is made into popcorn, but it has the most beautiful colours. So you can either use it as a really pretty decoration in the autumn or, you know, Halloween time of year, or you can actually pop it as popcorn, and it's really fun for the family and the kids.'
What is your definition of heirloom?
'So heirloom is something that's 50 years old or older. And basically, it's a type that is stable. And that means is that if you harvest that variety, so harvest the tomatoes, save the seeds, they would be true to type if you try to grow them again. Most of the other seed companies in the UK sell hybrids or F1s.'
'Hybrids and F1s were originally created for farming, where you want a guaranteed crop of, you know, volume, size, you want everything to be uniform. But actually, what that does is dilutes flavour. So we've all had a, you know, a tomato from the supermarket that tastes of nothing. And that is why.'
'So actually, we are bringing back all the heirlooms because if you're going to bother to grow-your-own, you want the best tasting and the prettiest on the plate, don't you? We're trying to re-educate everyone about the wonder of heirlooms, and, as you can see, they're very pretty and they are also delicious.'
Apologies for the slight delay in programming, the cats were having a scrap, so had to go and organise some timeouts. Back to plants!
'People look like their dogs and gardeners look like their plants. It’s inevitable. Don’t fight it'
Nick from Roualeyn Fuchsias stands in front of a searingly colourful display.
Country Life's Rosie Paterson getting a superb whiff of Sir David Beckham there.
Although I am reliably informed Rosie would also happily give the real Sir David a whiff as well.
So it seems like there will be no back-to-back Best in Shows for Kazuyuki Ishihara, as his Tokonoma Garden – Sanumaya no Niwa is awarded a Silver Gilt Medal. Who will take home Best in Show I wonder?
BREAKING: Gold Medal winners announced
A Chelsea Pensioner rests next to a sculpture of Gaia in Sarah Eberle's Gold Medal winning garden for the CPRE, titled 'On The Edge'.
We have some big awards for you, with the announcement of the Gold Medals for the various gardens around RHS Chelsea. The list is below:
Gold Medal
The Killik & Co 'A Seed in Time' Garden
Lady Garden Foundation 'Silent No More' Garden
The Children's Society Garden
The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: 'On the Edge'
The Tate Britain Garden
Addleshaw Goddard: Flourish in the City
Trussell's Together Garden
Woodland Trust: Forgotten Forests Garden
Clear Gottlieb: Time for Creativity
Flood Re: Contain the Rain Garden
Tales from the Riverbank Garden sponsored by Kennedys' Independent Property Agents
A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge sponsored by Viking
The Whittard of Chelsea Garden
Hedgerow in the Sky – Tech Mahindra
Many congratulations to all the Gold Medal winners. For more information on all the winners, head to the RHS website by clicking here (but then come back to us).
Gardens in small spaces: A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge, sponsored by Viking
Rosie Paterson has been roaming the grounds of Chelsea, looking for inspiration. She's just filed the following report from the Balcony and Container Gardens area:
'I’ve been to see the balcony gardens because I’m moving into a new flat in July with a large — by London standards — balcony.
I spoke to Katerina Kantalis who’s just won a Gold Medal for her ‘A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge’ garden, sponsored by Viking.
The space is dominated by edible plants and vegetables — a fantastic example of how gardens, especially small ones where space is at a premium, can be practical and decorative. ‘I want to show off their [the fruits, vegetables and edible plants] beauty,’ says Katerina. She points out purple pak choi, mustard greens with their very architectural leaves and the cabbages with their frilly edges.
The pots are of varying shapes, sizes, finishes and texture — another important thing to keep in mind when landscaping a small space because they distract from the fact that you’re starting base is often a bland rectangular space (5m by 2m in this instance). ‘It softens a lot of the space,’ she says.
The climbing sweet pea plant in one corner adds height and structure, but it too is practical. It attracts pollinators and is nitrogen fixing. The colourful marigolds and pelargoniums are ‘companion plants’ which distract pests from the veggies.
Katerina worked with John Wheatley of Stonebarn Landscapes, a long time RHS collaborator and expert vegetable grower (he’s also worked with Frances Tophill). (Oh, he’s also 80 years old and collecting an MBE today). Rather than using chillers and heaters to make sure everything flowers at the right time, they’ve been growing the veggies and so on since January in waves to make sure something of everything is in prime condition.
Her top tip for someone like me who is just starting out with their own blank and — for now — bland space? ‘Figure out what you want from your space,’ she says. ‘It’s all about understanding: what are you passions, and how do you want to sit in it. Once you’ve worked that out, then you can start to think about how you break the space up.’
Clare Balding was one of the many visitors to Katerina Kantalis's (right) Little Garden of Shared Knowledge yesterday.
Plant of the year 2026: Red Ninja Hosta
While we wait for Gold Medals and Best in Show, yesterday evening saw the announcement of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2026, which is this Hosta 'Red Ninja'. Now you could be forgiven for thinking this is a bit plain ('looks like a £1.99 pot plant from Home Bargains,' per Toby Keel), but it is actually quite special, as it is the world's first red-variegated hosta.
Described as a 'real talking point for modern shade planting', Red Ninja 'brings an unexpected splash of unique colour into the foliage pallette of hostas'. It's also named Red Ninja, which is a sick name for a plant, if we're honest. Many congratulations to breeder Ninja Kramer for producing it. It will be available to order from the summer.
Where to find us
As mentioned, we want you to come and visit our five-star stand (PW215). Come and bask in some of the finest interior design the country has to offer and maybe consider buying a subscription. We've got some amazing deals on, and it's basically like getting 51 issues of this live blog delivered to your door for a year. What's not to love.
But wait! There's more!
The first 200 subscribers at Chelsea will receive a bottle of The Grange Classic Sparkling NV, worth £39. Rated 94 points by Decanter magazine, this premium sparkling wine from Hampshire was described in Country Life (that's us) as ‘the connoisseur’s choice’. Offer available with subscriptions for UK delivery only.
What to eat at RHS Chelsea: Chocolate-dipped pain aux raisins
But first, more food.
As mentioned, we will try and review the best bites to eat while at the show, because we here at Country Life yearn for you to have the finest things in life, at all times, in all places.
Kicking things off with a chocolate-dipped pain aux raisins. Rosie says: 'I've never seen this before. Feels very unique to Chelsea and, frankly, headline worthy'.
We're going to assume 'headline worthy' means very good, so it's a 10/10.
What else to do in SW3: Chelsea in Bloom
Do you want to get in on some of the RHS Chelsea action, but don't have a ticket? Fear not, as you can always head down to SW3 and get involved with Chelsea In Bloom, a week-long floral arts festival that takes over the neighbourhood. And it's completely free.
This year's theme is 'Out of This World', so expect lots of space and zodiac-inspired floral sculptures, UFOs, and bizarre creatures adorning the shops, cafés, restaurants and hotels of Chelsea.
Alongside goings on at the Royal Hospital today, we'll also be bringing you some highlights from one of London's best spring street festivals.
Under brollies, being jolly
In case you haven't looked out a window this morning, it's a bit wet today. Not that it's putting people off. Hearing rumours that we might be putting together a 'Best Brolly' competition....
Some early front runners below
A springtime Father Christmas
I won an award once, a long time ago. It was for property journalism, if you can believe that, and it was at a very nice dinner in central London. I got invited up on stage, collected my shiny plaque, took a picture with Phil Spencer and then walked back to my table. No speech, as my words are too powerful.
That's traditionally how you would accept an award. A less traditional way is to be stuck in a fireplace, which is what happened to our Interiors Editor Giles Kime when the RHS came to pay us a visit this morning...
The good news is that he eventually crawled out, and Giles and Editor Mark Hedges were delighted to accept our five-star award. Once again, congratulations to everyone involved on making the Garden Lover's Library such an excellent stand.
A Traitor stalks the grounds at RHS Chelsea
Yesterday, we sent Florence Allen out to ask the many celebrities wandering around the Royal Hospital three key questions: 'Favourite flower', 'Wildflower meadow or manicured lawn' and 'To gnome or not to gnome'? Vital questions that demand answers.
We've got plenty of videos to bring you, but first up today is a two-for-one special, with Rachel 'the best Traitor of all time' Duffy and Aisling Bea.
When are the awards handed out?
Today is awards day, where Medals are dished out by the judges. We'll also be finding out which garden wins Best in Show, and if Kazuyuki Ishihara will defend his crown.
Most of the Gold Medals are handed out from 8am onwards, so we'll be finding out who won those soon enough, while the announcement of Best in Show is usually around 11am.
As soon as we know who's won what, you'll know.
In the meantime, queues are slowly moving as RHS Members make their way into the show, hidden under a sea of umbrellas. Talk about the Great British Summer eh?
BREAKING: Country Life's 'Garden Lover's Library' wins Five-Star Tradestand Award
Very excitingly, I can announce the first award of the day, and it's arguably the most important one: Country Life's 'Garden Lover's Library' has been awarded five stars by the RHS, the maximum honour for a tradestand at RHS Chelsea.
The stand, designed by George Saumarez Smith, is absolutely divine and please do come visit us at PW215 and see it for yourselves. Featuring a plethora of vintage gardening books, stone by Somerset specialist Artorius Faber, plants from the gardener Jane Kennerley, wallcoverings by Watts 1874 and furniture by Munder Skiles, the space is a real symphony of British interior design.
If you'd like to find out more about the stand, you can do so by clicking here.
Day one recap
A reminder that yesterday was press day at RHS Chelsea, where lots of green-fingered journalists mingled with green-fingered celebrities and judges finished off their rounds to choose who goes home with what.
You can recap (almost) everything that happened by reading our coverage of day one here.
Today is the first day us Normal People are allowed in, and is also the day when awards are handed out. We'll bring you everything we can, including Gold Medals and Best in Show, as they are announced.
Good morning, and welcome back to Country Life's live coverage from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. I am once again wrangling our crack squad of reporters on the ground in SW3 to bring you everything you need to know about day two of the nation's favourite flower show.
I was quite gutted I couldn't go yesterday and do some celebrity spotting. But looking out the window today, I am a bit more relieved. But I suppose the gardens and the gardeners will be happy, even if the punters might be getting a little wet.
Lots to bring you today. We've got more 'Chelsea in Three' videos (I am getting reports there might be a Traitor among us), gnome discourse, what else to do in SW3, Gold Medals, Best in Show, Country Life's unofficial awards, best food, and much much more. Frankly more than one man in his spare bedroom can handle. But handle it he will, because he is dedicated to you the reader. And also to flowers.
Stay tuned! Here is a gnome to kick off our day.
This delightful creation is from Harkness Roses.