Children’s Society Garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2026 to be relocated to Leighton Buzzard
The Children’s Society Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 will find a permanent home at the charity’s Youth Support Centre in Leighton Buzzard.
The garden will be moved after next year’s show to become the charity’s first dedicated outdoor, therapeutic wellbeing space for young people.
Designed by landscape architect, Patrick Clarke and co-sponsored by Project Giving Back, it will be a place where teenagers can pause, reflect and reconnect.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “The garden has been designed to help reverse the UK’s decline in young people’s wellbeing - a crisis described by The Children’s Society as a ‘happiness recession’.
"It embodies The Children’s Society’s mission to reach young people early, offering meaningful support before challenges escalate into crisis.”
The design is inspired by the Japanese philosophy of 'wabi-sabi’, which is the belief in finding beauty in imperfection and the re-crafting of discarded materials. The concept is interwoven throughout the garden design, where forgotten, imperfect materials are re-crafted with resilient plants to create a beautiful environment.
Patrick Clarke said: “I was delighted to be commissioned by The Children's Society to design their RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden.
“With the help of the ‘Young Creative Partners’ from the charity, who provided me with some excellent ideas for the garden’s design features, we have created a welcoming, nurturing outdoor space where they can find safety, peace and connection to support their emotional wellbeing. My hope is that this garden, and many others like it, will regenerate optimism and hope in our younger generation.”
Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “Showcasing The Children’s Society Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a powerful opportunity to shine a light on the growing crisis in young people’s mental health and wellbeing.”