RHS Chelsea Flower Show
2025 Gold Medal

The Garden Of The Future

Acacia Gardens was proud to construct The Garden of the Future at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 which won a gold medal. Designed by Matthew Butler and Josh Parker and sponsored by The Gates Foundation. This compelling show garden imagined a near-future UK shaped by the mounting effects of climate change, such as hotter temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and prolonged periods of drought.

Created to inspire hope through action, the garden explores how communities worldwide, notably those already on the climate frontline, develop solutions to survive and thrive. It asked a vital question: how can we adapt how we build, grow, and live in harmony with a changing environment?

Acacia Gardens brought this ambitious vision to life, constructing a detailed, climate-resilient landscape that blended innovative technologies with regenerative construction and bio-diverse planting.

The Garden of the future Design

The Garden of the Future highlighted the people and partnerships behind global efforts to tackle climate change, from farmers and scientists to researchers and community leaders. Designed as a public-facing space with an educational message, the garden featured an immersive mix of edible plants, ornamentals and crops adapted to extreme weather conditions.

A central rammed-earth hut symbolises a low-impact building that was natural, self-cooling and sculptural in form. This off-grid structure was topped with roof planting that flowed into surrounding beds, creating a living connection between built and planted elements.

Inside the hut, a composting toilet demonstrated how even essential services can operate sustainably without water or conventional infrastructure.

A visible dip tank formed part of a rainwater harvesting system, showcasing how water can be conserved, stored and reused in a home-scale garden context.

Around the hut, the planting scheme celebrated climate resilience through diversity bringing together crops like sweet potato, pigeon pea and sorghum with drought-tolerant ornamentals in soft pink, white and purple hues.

The Garden of the future construction

Acacia Gardens delivered the complete garden construction, overseeing all elements from the rammed-earth build to irrigation systems and final planting.

The construction of the mud hut was a central focus. Built layer by layer with compacted soil, careful preparation, technical skill, and a deep respect for the natural material were required. Our team ensured the structure was sound and visually compelling, its gentle curves and earthen finish anchoring the garden in its sustainability message.

We also implemented the rainwater collection infrastructure to support the garden’s water-sensitive planting, an integral part of the garden of the future

This was one of the most rewarding builds we’ve been part of at Chelsea. Constructing a rammed-earth structure which also housed a functioning off-grid toilet in the middle of a show garden presented real technical challenges but it also gave us a chance to demonstrate what’s possible. The Garden of the Future had a message that resonated: that with collaboration, creativity and care, we can build better. We were proud to be part of it and I’m not surprised this garden won a gold medal, it was well deserved.

Herman Pobrati

Managing Director Acacia Gardens Ltd

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 Gold Medal

The Garden of the future Design

The Garden of the future construction

RHS Chelsea Flower Show
2025 Gold Medal