RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021: Balcony & Container Gardens

The Landform Balcony Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, designed by Nicola Hale, is a celebration of how small urban spaces can be transformed into valuable wildlife havens. Some of the key features include vibrant sunflowers, salvias, asters, sculptural specimen shrubs and a bistro table for alfresco dining.

“I have used lots of sunflowers partly because they are my favourite cut flower as well as being great for bees and, later in the season, the sunflower seeds are a magnet for birds,” Nicola says. “They are bright, sunny and whether they are tall or short, large, or small, bright or subtle and they always make me smile!”

READ MORE: The Landform Balcony Garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2021: Inside the beautiful bee-friendly space

Balconies have been a lifeline for so many over the pandemic — and this Sky Sanctuary Balcony Garden designed by Michael Coley celebrates just that. With an on-trend hanging egg chair, outdoor lights and colourful borders, it shows how a small space can be used to the max.

“More and more of us are living in flats high up off the ground with limited outdoor space,” say the designers. “This garden is meant to represent a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the street below. A simple usable space to relax and let your troubles unwind.”

“The Balcony of Blooms demonstrates that small spaces can be practical, productive and enchanting,” says the RHS. “Two trees provide a sense of enclosure, while a continuous green edge is planted with herbs for culinary and medicinal use, as well as with pollinator-friendly flowers.”

Heading to the Chelsea Flower Show? You’ll find this balcony on stand number 282A.

Designed as an antidote for busy city living, this balcony garden is a “green oasis in the clouds”. It’s a lush green pocket of peace, with planters, sculptures, a wooden bench and vegetation.

READ MORE: Winners of Chelsea Flower Show 2021 revealed

“This space is for people in the city who seek tranquility,” add the RHS. “There is only one flowering plant in the space. Seeing this flower is the ‘first and last time’ in our life, this enjoyment would give us the feeling of we are here now.”

Make sure to stop by to grab some small space inspiration…

It’s not hard to miss the Pop Street Container Garden when you’re walking past. Taking inspiration from pop and street art, it’s a place designed to hang out with friends over a good drink. As well as including energising plants, the garden contains original sculptures and a mural by artist Robert Littleford.

READ MORE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021: Dates, tickets and garden highlights

Inspired by life at the beach, the Hot Tin Roof Container Garden includes coastal landscaping, plants that offer shade, bright blue tiles under the outdoor shower, and undulating corrugated steel planters to tie the whole look together. Bringing the beach to your garden just got easier…

Inspired by the balconies of Milan’s Bosco Verticale and tiny urban forests, this beautiful Container Garden aims to create a haven for wildlife. Cleverly, white bulk containers have been repurposed to create ponds for birds, butterflies and other insects.

READ MORE: 8 Chelsea Flower Show 2021 gardening trends to try at home

The final Container Garden is this beautiful space designed by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi. With two contrasting planting schemes, Anna has used the garden to translate human emotions. We’re big fans of the exquisite trio of seashell inspired pots crafted in solid oak.