The 2025 Chelsea Pensioner Garden

We were recently delighted to welcome our supporting partners, London Square Developments, for a special photocall to celebrate the creation of the Chelsea Pensioner Garden - a unique and lasting project designed for this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

For the first time in the Show’s long and distinguished history, a garden will not only be showcased at the event but also find a permanent home within the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Once the Show concludes, the garden will be carefully relocated to a site near the Prince Philip Building, where it will be enjoyed by the Chelsea Pensioners for years to come.

A Collaborative Celebration of Nature and Wellbeing

The morning began with our Chelsea Pensioners assembling proudly in their scarlets amongst the allotments they tend with care and dedication. Though the skies were grey, spirits were high as representatives from London Square Developments, the BBC, and The Times joined us to capture the moment.

The garden has been shaped from the start by those who will use it. Designed by Dave Green, the project has been a truly collaborative effort, with Chelsea Pensioners contributing ideas and preferences at every stage of the design process. Their lived experiences and passion for gardening have been central to the garden’s development, from concept through to completion.

Sharing Stories and Growing Awareness

Throughout the morning, Chelsea Pensioners, Dave Green, and Head of Gardens Ric Glenn were interviewed by media teams from the BBC and The Times. These c

onversations helped shed light on the garden’s meaning - not just as a horticultural achievement, but as a living space that promotes wellbeing, connection, and purpose.

Particular attention was given to the raised and accessible allotments, which ensure that even Pensioners with limited mobility can continue to enjoy the benefits of gardening. The garden reflects the therapeutic value many of our residents find in spending time outdoors - whether planting, pruning, or simply pausing for a moment of reflection.

Following the photocall, guests visited the current show garden site before being shown the future location where the garden will live permanently within the Royal Hospital’s grounds.

A Proud Tradition

This is not the first time the Royal Hospital has worked with the Chelsea Flower Show to bring the spirit of the Chelsea Pensioners to the world stage. In 2005, to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Royal Hospital commissioned ‘A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty’, designed by Julian Dowle. This nostalgic vision of home featured a village green and country pub - symbols of the Britain soldiers longed for while deployed.

That garden won Best in Show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and later triumphed again when it was recreated for the Cincinnati Flower Show in the United States.

The Chelsea Pensioner Garden continues this proud tradition of horticultural excellence and heartfelt storytelling - and we look forward to seeing it flourish both at the show and here at home.

Stay tuned throughout Chelsea Flower Show week for a full reveal of the London Square Chelsea Pensioner Garden, as well as a look back at our 2005 best in show garden 'A Soldier's Dream of Blighty'