Gold award winning garden from London Square Developments and the Chelsea Pensioners - lush green leaves and trees surround a small group of people beneath a wooden archway,

Chelsea Pensioner Garden Wins Gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025

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Chelsea Pensioner Garden Wins Gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025

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Chelsea Pensioner Garden Wins Gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025

We are delighted to announce that the Chelsea Pensioner Garden, designed by Dave Green and supported by London Square Developments, has been awarded Gold in the Small Show Gardens category at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025.

This deeply personal garden has been created in partnership with the Royal Hospital Chelsea and shaped through the voices and experiences of the Chelsea Pensioners. It reflects over 330 years of heritage as a home for “soldiers broken by age and war,” while offering a space that speaks just as strongly to peace, purpose, and belonging.

Chelsea Pensioners sit in the award winning garden with their gold medal certificate proudly on display

A Garden of Reflection and Connection

Designed as a sheltered woodland space, the garden provides a tranquil and immersive environment for the Chelsea Pensioners, their families, and visiting veterans. At its centre is a welcoming seating area, upholstered using recycled scarlet uniforms, surrounding a bespoke world map table, a subtle nod to the shared journeys and far-reaching service of those who call the Royal Hospital home.

Vibrant planting at the garden’s edges reflects the ceremonial life of the Pensioners, while softer, textured planting in the centre encourages quiet reflection and conversation, a thoughtful contrast that captures both public pride and private memory.

Chelsea Pensioner Archway featuring lush green plants and trees with a central wooden archway rising above a wooden bench and table with iconic scarlet cushions

A Garden Designed to Be Used

The layout of the garden draws inspiration from the simple act of shaking hands - a symbol of welcome and connection. Early design sketches of linked hands informed the flowing pathways that bring visitors together in the central space, embodying the spirit of friendship and community that lies at the heart of life at the Royal Hospital.

This is not a showpiece to be admired and dismantled, but a living legacy. After the Show, the Chelsea Pensioner Garden will be relocated to the Prince of Wales Court within the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where it will become a lasting space for rest, conversation, and shared reflection for years to come.

Chelsea Pensioners sit on a bench in front of a round wooden table with a map and markers showing places they have served. Above is a wooden archway and behind are lush green plants and trees.

Honouring the Past, Celebrating the Present

The Royal Hospital Chelsea has a proud tradition of participating in the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - from the award-winning A Soldier’s Dream of Blighty in 2005, to this year’s Gold Medal triumph. Both gardens share a common thread: telling the stories of the Chelsea Pensioners through nature, design, and creativity.

We are incredibly proud to see this latest garden recognised at the highest level. It stands not only as a celebration of beautiful design, but as a tribute to the enduring spirit of the Chelsea Pensioners and the community that supports them.