On the Edge: the countryside on our doorsteps
The countryside isn’t always remote hills and postcard landscapes.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden: ‘On the Edge’
In our centenary year, we’re bringing the countryside to RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 with an ‘edgelands’-inspired show garden by award-winning designer Sarah Eberle, supported by Project Giving Back. ‘On the Edge’ shines a light on the overlooked countryside at the edges of our towns and cities – showing how, with the right care, these places can recover and thrive.
Garden
'On the Edge'
Designer
Sarah Eberle
Sponsor
Project Giving Back
After the show
Relocated (TBC)
Hope on our doorstep
When people say ‘the countryside’, many picture remote beauty spots. But nature thrives closer than we think — particularly on the edges of towns and cities, including many places that sit within or alongside Green Belt land. These everyday landscapes matter for wildlife, for community wellbeing, and for resilience in a changing climate — yet they face growing development pressure.
‘On the Edge’ celebrates these fragile, overlooked edgelands. These spaces connect millions of people to nature in everyday life, yet they’re undervalued and under constant pressure. This garden is an invitation to see them differently: not as ‘leftover’ land, but as living places that can recover and thrive with the right care.
We’re using RHS Chelsea as a springboard for a clear message: every town and city should be surrounded by protected countryside — for nature, climate and wellbeing.
'We want this garden to help people see the value of the countryside closest to where they live — and to feel inspired to play a part, alongside others, in helping it thrive'
Roger Mortlock, Chief Executive, CPRE
Inside ‘On the Edge’
Set on undeveloped land looked after by a community on the urban fringe, the garden showcases nature’s resilience — and how care can transform neglected places into spaces of beauty and belonging.
Key features
- A fallen mature tree carved into a guardian figure — Gaia / Mother Nature — still supporting life.
- Naturalistic, textural planting celebrating UK native plants (including ‘unsung heroes’ often dismissed as weeds, but vital to ecosystems).
- A winding pathway that leads you under the figure’s arched torso into a more enclosed space for community gathering or quiet contemplation.
- Dry-stone walling and willow structures where ‘hard meets soft’, echoing the rural–urban fringe.
- A story of neglect into abundance, including plants naturalised through past fly-tipping of garden waste.
'A country girl at heart, I’m looking forward to returning to RHS Chelsea to help CPRE highlight these vulnerable and beautiful spaces that are far too often under threat.'
Sarah Eberle, garden designer
Meet the people behind the garden
‘On the Edge’ has been shaped by an exceptional group of people — from designer to makers — all bringing deep knowledge, care and craft to this shared vision.
