We’ve got some very exciting news for 2020… its our first ever show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!

We’re working with award-winning garden designer, Tom Massey, with advice and guidance from The Soil Association, on our Main Avenue garden which will feature a diverse range of habitats and a rich tapestry of flowering plants, designed to encourage wildlife and support pollinators.

Speaking about the design and his collaboration with Yeo Valley, Tom says:

“It’s a privilege to be working with the Yeo Valley team, who have been practicing organic farming gardening and for 25 years now. I have learnt a huge amount from them and the Soil Association in the process of designing a show garden founded on organic principles. I have seen first-hand at the Yeo Valley farm and garden how growing organically can positively impact the environment. Where possible the plants for the garden will be grown organically, a big challenge for a main avenue Chelsea show garden. As with organic dairy farming, this means no chemical pesticides or fertilisers will be used and the compost the plants are grown in will be peat-free and organically certified. All the pots we use will be compostable, as opposed to plastic. With this garden we want to inspire show visitors to understand  organic principles and the benefits of organic living.”

Sustainability is at the heart of this garden, from its sympathetic design and responsible build on site, to its careful removal and reuse at the farm after the show. The carbon used to create the garden will be offset at Yeo Valley’s farm by locking carbon into biochar and burying it in the farmland. A grassland rich in trifolium (clover) will represent the species-rich grass that Yeo Valley British Friesian cows graze on.

The Yeo Valley Organic Garden will encourage show visitors to consider organic practices and to put nature first. Creating an organic garden for Chelsea is a ‘dream come true’ for Yeo Valley farm owner and keen gardener Sarah Mead, who says:

“We’ve been quietly growing and farming organically for 25 years now and we know it has huge benefits for the environment, particularly in supporting pollinators and wildlife. I’ve been visiting the Chelsea Flower Show for most of my adult life and have longed to bring a slice of our Somerset valley to the show for years. We’re certainly not in the business of telling people how to live, but we are excited to be bringing our organic credentials and experience to the world’s greatest flower show, and are ready to start shouting a bit louder about the benefits of growing and buying organic.”

We’ll be updating you on this throughout the build up to next May, so keep an eye on our website and social media to stay in the know.

You can find out more about Tom Massey, our endlessly talented designer, on his website – www.tommassey.co.uk