Body Shop garden for RHS Chelsea

‘The Body Shop Garden‘ at the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show will tell the story of environmental and societal regeneration – a journey from a state of burnout to wellbeing. Designed by Jennifer Hirsch, this conceptual garden will be defined by a series of Corten steel arches in various states of char, dividing three segments of planting that tell the regeneration story from charcoaled, diminished forest floor to a verdant, diverse explosion of plant life.

The garden is inspired by the new generation of changemakers and activists, of the stress and anxiety of social challenges they face while continuing to fight global issues from climate change to race. The garden carries a positive message – if we take time to nurture ourselves and our environment, life can thrive.

Jennifer is using five key plants on the garden: Eucalyptus, Fire poppies, Lavender, Orlaya grandiflora and Iris. Eucalyptus represents the fire-adapted forests that are being decimated by repeated catastrophic forest fires; Fire poppies appear fleetingly, like little red-orange flames, after forest fires in California. These have been chosen to typify the ephemerals whose growth is stimulated by heat as well as describing the period of regeneration.

Lavender has been chosen because of their attraction for insects and is noted for calming nerves. It can be a hedge, topiary, shrub or cut flower. Lavender features in The Body Shop’s products.

Orlaya grandiflora has gorgeous white flowers that weave together the plant explosion of the ‘forb’ meadow of the garden with their movement and light touch. Iris is always a Chelsea staple and has been chosen on the garden for its symbolism of wisdom, hope, faith and valour.

‘The Body Shop Garden‘ is in the Sanctuary category.