From Vision to Chelsea

Before a garden takes root in the soil, it first takes shape in the imagination

For the CPRE Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, that imagination belongs to award-winning designer Sarah Eberle, whose vision brings together a remarkable group of artisans and makers working behind the scenes to bring the garden to life.

To mark CPRE’s centenary year — celebrating 100 years of standing up for the countryside — Sarah has created a garden sponsored by Project Giving Back, reflecting the landscapes and values CPRE works to protect.

My role is to quietly document this journey as it unfolds, creating a photographic and video diary that captures the process behind the finished garden. From early conversations and workshop visits to the making of individual elements, these behind-the-scenes moments reveal the collaboration and craftsmanship involved in creating a Chelsea garden.

Along the way I am recording the work of some of the remarkable artisans involved, including sculptor Chris Wood of Wood Art Works, willow and living sculpture artist Tom Hare, and Mark Britton of The Outdoor Room — among others helping to bring Sarah’s vision to life.

This diary follows the garden from its earliest stages of making through to its final realisation at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Images copyright & credit: Mark Spencer.

The Vision

Every Chelsea garden begins with an idea. Long before the first stone is placed or the first plant selected, the garden exists as a vision in the mind of the designer.

The Makers

A Chelsea garden is never created by one person alone. every design is a team of artisans and craftspeople whose skill transforms ideas into physical form.

the Garden Takes Shape

As the individual pieces come together, the garden begins its next stage — moving from workshops to the landscape team’s yard where the design can be assembled and refined.