Gold Medal Win At RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

Acacia Gardens is thrilled to announce its participation in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024. They played a crucial role in bringing to life the St James’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different Show Garden.

This garden, a striking testament to the transformative potential of urban green spaces, was honoured with a prestigious gold medal for its exceptional design and execution.

Designed by the esteemed Robert Myers and constructed by Stewart Landscape Construction, with sponsorship from Project Giving Back/St James’s Piccadilly, the garden featured Acacia Gardens’ significant contribution: creating a stunning archway. This central feature symbolises hope and recovery, reflecting the project’s collaborative spirit.

St James’s Piccadilly Show Garden Design Features

The design pays tribute to the rejuvenating power of urban green spaces, drawing inspiration from nature’s reclamation of old bomb sites, a homage to the historic St James’s Piccadilly churchyard that survived wartime bombings.

As visitors pass through the impressive archway, reminiscent of the proposed gateways to St James’s Piccadilly churchyard, they are welcomed into a serene oasis. This tranquil space, designed for urban inhabitants and wildlife, boasts a lush, biodiverse planting scheme. Guests are encouraged to relax, stroll, and indulge in the sensory delights of dappledsunlight, verdant landscapes, and soothing water features.

Nestled among the foliage is a circular, sculptural timber counselling cabin, offering peace and inspiration, enhancing the garden’s role as a vital sanctuary.

The garden showcases various climate-resilient trees and plants, including seven pioneer species that flourished in St James’s after the bombings. These resilient plants symbolise new hope and nature’s regenerative power, aligning with the garden’s theme of renewal and resilience.

St James’s Piccadilly Show Garden Construction

The garden’s construction emphasises sustainability through several innovative measures: using rammed earth for the main wall elements instead of concrete or blockwork, employing cement-free concrete when necessary, and avoiding peat-based materials. Precise calculations minimise material waste, with 90% of materials designated for the legacy garden or recycling for other projects. The project also prioritises local suppliers to avoid importing trees and plants abroad.

Following the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be relocated to St James’s Piccadilly. This relocation aims to create a welcoming and inclusive green space for the congregation, residents, and visitors, continuing to offer a serene, natural retreat within the bustling city, reinforcing nature’s essential role in urban life.

The St James’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different Show Garden celebrates the history, resilience, and transformative power of urban green spaces. Acacia Gardens is proud to have contributed to this gold medal-winning project, which promises to enrich the lives of many in its new home.

Acacia Gardens Show Garden Contractors

Acacia Garden has a proven track record of helping garden designers win at prestigious garden shows. Our collaboration with Ingham’s Garden Build garnered the Silver Gilt Medal at the Hampton Court Garden Festival 2023. Additionally, we received the RHS Chelsea 5-star trade stand award for the David Harber Show Garden, outstanding construction evaluations, recognition by BALI in 2023 for a £200k project.

Special thanks to Gary Morrisroe for the photos.