At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, garden designer Sarah Eberle received recognition for her creation titled "On the Edge," developed in collaboration with the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The garden was awarded Garden of the Year, highlighting its emphasis on overlooked rural plants and natural landscapes.

Eberle, the show’s most decorated designer with 14 gold medals and four “Best In” category wins to her name, designed the garden to evoke the feeling of coming across an untended patch of countryside rather than a traditional show garden. Its plantings include buttercups, cow parsley, dog violets, snow rushes, ferns, hawthorn, and dogwood, arranged to illustrate a progression of colors from soft creams and yellows to deeper pinks and purples. Ornamental grasses were used to soften boundaries between cultivated and wild, while guelder-rose viburnum provided dappled shade with clusters of white blossoms.

A central feature of the space is a fallen tree transformed into a carved representation of Gaia, symbolizing Mother Nature. Eberle described the project as deeply personal, noting her background and values align closely with those of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. “The difference between a good garden and a great garden is how it makes you feel,” she said, also sharing that inspiring future generations of gardeners was an important reward.

Chris Bailes, chair of the judging panel, praised the garden for combining mythic elements with theatrical design, and commended its ability to create a natural, atmospheric setting that bridges urban and rural themes. He highlighted an innovative water feature using a repurposed concrete drain filled with common duckweed as a notable example of the garden’s subtle, elegant approach.

The garden attracted large crowds throughout the show, though opinions were mixed; one visitor on site expressed dislike for the Gaia sculpture, which was created by designer Darren Hawkes, who himself earned a gold medal this year.

Separately, the RHS Plant of the Year was awarded to the hosta variety Red Ninja, developed by Ninja Kramer and exhibited by Sienna Hosta. The plant is characterized by vivid magenta stems and deep green-to-burgundy ombre leaves with striking veining. Grower Jonathan Hogarth, who also won a gold medal, shared advice for protecting hostas from slugs. He recommended lining the inside of terracotta pots with a non-toxic sealant to prevent the porous material from absorbing moisture. This keeps the pot exterior dry, impeding slugs and snails that rely on mucus trails for climbing.

The Chelsea Flower Show continues to be a platform for innovative gardening approaches that blend aesthetics with conservation messages, as exemplified by Eberle’s award-winning garden and other standout exhibits.