Chelsea Flower Show 2026 has left us with a plethora of planting inspiration, from the fiery orange flower that was everywhere this year, to the ‘roadside’ perennial that kept popping up in show gardens.
But one trend stands out – wild, mid-height planting is all over Chelsea Flower Show this year, but not just where you’d typically expect (such as in wildflower meadow-style lawns or towards the mid-back of beds).
Flowerbeds are tall and dramatic all over, giving a wild look right up to walls, paths and edges – creating an undeniable cocooning effect as you wander through the spaces.
In the Lady Garden Foundation 'Silent No More' Garden, for example, tall purple perennials and hefty green scrubs are sprawled haphazardly onto paths – blurring any kind of traditional garden edging.
Similarly, in The Tate Britain Garden, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, tall Japanese forest grass, velvet groundsel and more blur the boundaries between where paths starts and planting begins, almost creating a 'wall of plants' as you walk through.
Country Living spoke to Jo Thompson at press day, in Patrick Clark’s Children’s Society garden, who shared more about this trend.
She said: “What all the gardens this year have done really well is use that idea of layers, so we’re not just planting at ground level. It’s all too easy just to plant at ground level and to concentrate on that and then wonder why when we step back it all looks a bit flat – actually the key is to actually introduce some mid height.
“As a judge, I’m often looking for that mid layer.”
With mid-height planting all over Chelsea Flower Show in 2026, Jo shares 3 easy ways you can achieve it in your garden:
Shrubs
Creating both structural framing and privacy for a garden, shrubs are a great addition for mid-level planting.
They work well as ‘fillers’ for sparser spots in your flowerbeds, but also help draw the eye upwards from ground-level planting – and act as a nice transition if you have taller backdrops or trees in your garden too.
Lavender is a great all-rounder, for colour, scent and height. Alternatively, ferns (also spotted everywhere at Chelsea Flower Show this year) are ideal for shady gardens and north-facing plots.
Elaeagnus
Elaeagnus – also known as silverberry – is a large evergreen scrub with green foliage with silvery undersides.
With its dense, structured growth, it’s great for filling space, creating hedging or adding privacy – it’s also not a showy shrub, so it can form a great backdrop to let other perennials shine.
Roses
With their mid-level height, lush foliage and continuous blooms, roses are also a great option for mid-level planting, according to Jo, as they help bridge the gap between ground level plants and taller climbers.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England Garden had snowball viburnum right at the front of a flowerbed, gently arching over the pathway – but roses could also work in a similar way.
Elsewhere, The King’s Rose and David Beckham’s rose from David Austin were favourites spotted in the Chelsea Flower Show 2026's Great Pavilion. They also look great paired together, as vibrant fuchsia pink and white stripes of the former look lovely next to the calmer, white and gentle yellow tones of the latter.
Summer gardening edit
John Lewis VegTrug
Metal Square Digging Spade
Lizzie is the multiplatform editor at Country Living, where you’ll find her writing about unique property market finds and dreamy UK staycation spots. Her specialisms include interiors, property, wildlife, travel, slow living and more. Previously, she’s written for Metro, Evening Standard, Ideal Home, Woman & Home and various other home and lifestyle titles. Lizzie studied English Literature at University of Liverpool, where she also was a writer and editor for her uni paper.
