Rooted in Nature
It comes around fast - the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is in full bloom. And here at Made Scotland we've found four gardens with Scottish roots. Each one draws inspiration from the land, sea, and Scotland's creative spirit. But what really stands out is their purpose.
Three of these gardens have been made possible through Project Giving Back, a UK charity that funds gardens created for good causes. After the show, every garden will return north - to schools, country parks, and conservation sites - where they’ll become lasting spaces for communities to connect with nature, creativity, and each other.
From coastal restoration in Argyll to wild planting in the Cairngorms, these gardens are about more than beauty - they show how design, sustainability and social impact can all work together.
Seagrass, Oysters and Ocean Restoration
The Seawilding Garden, designed by Ryan McMahon, brings the tidal ecology of Loch Craignish into central London. It’s the first time live seagrass - the ocean’s only flowering plant — has been featured at Chelsea. Inspired by the work of Seawilding, a pioneering marine charity restoring native oyster beds and seagrass meadows in Argyll, this garden celebrates the quiet, vital work happening along Scotland’s coastline. After the show, it will be replanted at the charity’s base in Ardfern.
Highland Plunge in the Wilderness
The Fettercairn Wilderness Retreat, created by ssh scapes and sponsored by Fettercairn Distillery, is a balcony garden that touches upon the raw beauty of the Cairngorms. With a cold-water copper plunge bath surrounded by native Highland planting, it nods to the cold water wellness trend. And after Chelsea, this garden returns to the foothills of the mountains, where it will become a lasting part of the landscape that inspired it.
A Creative Retreat by the Sea
The Hospitalfield Garden is inspired by the ever-changing coastline of Arbroath. Drawing on the rich creative legacy of Hospitalfield Arts, a contemporary arts centre on the edge of the North Sea, the garden pairs coastal and Mediterranean plants with an artist’s bothy - a sculptural shelter that invites reflection. Following the show, it will be relocated to Ladyloan Primary School, where it will serve as a creative space for young imaginations to thrive.
A Garden that Welcomes Everyone In
The Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden, designed by Burton Hall Garden Design, is a space built around belonging. It features a gently winding path, a reflective water pool, and a curved shelter designed to feel like a hug - all intended to reflect the warmth, individuality and strength of people with Down’s Syndrome. After the show the garden will move to Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire, where it will be cared for by local charity Watch Us Grow.
