Transforming Gardens: Ced Stone's Role in Supplying Stone for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Post date: 20 May, 2025

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is in full swing, and some of the finest designers in the industry are using our natural stone products in their gardens. Visitors are arriving in their thousands to see the amazing creations, and the world is watching the BBC coverage from home every night this week.

Here are the gardens here our materials feature at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Addleshaw Goddard: Freedom To Flourish Garden

Gold medal winner

RHS Chelsea Small Garden of the Year

Best Construction Award

Kerry Offord, based at our West Thurrock Depot, worked with Mark Britton from The Outdoor Room and designers Joe and Laura Carey to supply limestone and slabby sandstone for the gabion walls in this garden. These walls represent the coastal cliffs of North Norfolk while also providing habitats for wildlife.

The garden promotes a message against the increasing trend of being overly busy. Inspired by a Norfolk colloquialism that encourages slowing down, the design explores the mental health benefits of living an unhurried lifestyle and spending time in nature, gardens, and gardening.

The Pathway Garden

Silver Gilt medal winner

Environmental Innovation Award

Designed by Allon Hoskin and Robert Beaudin the Pathway Garden is inspired by the work that the Pathway charity does to support people out of homelessness. Claire Forth, an employee at the West Thurrock Depot, collaborated with Modular Garden Limited, the contractors for the project, to provide boulders for the garden, including a specially crafted bird bath.

The garden will be relocated to the Shekinah Centre in Plymouth, Devon, which is a community-based day center dedicated to supporting people experiencing homelessness.

Seawilding

Gold medal winner

Best All About Plants Garden

Designer Ryan McMahon's Seawilding garden is inspired by the landscape of Loch Craignish on the west coast of Scotland, home to marine restorition charity Seawilding. It is Ryan's first time at RHS Chelsea and he's certianly been making a splash for his choice of planting. For the first time in the show’s history, seagrass, the oceans only flowering plant will take centre stage.

Slabby Sandstone, supplied by CED Stone, has been used throughout the garden, being built by contractors Frogheath Landscaping. At the beginning of the year, CED's Terry Saxton met with Ryan at the quarry to help him select the exact materials he wanted for the design. Slabby Sandstone is utilized throughout the garden.

The garden will be relocated at Loch Craignish. The seagrass used at RHS Chelsea has been grown by The Ocean Conservation Trust at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and some is also expected to come from the West Coast of Scotland. It will go back to The Ocean Conservation Trust following the Show.

The King’s Trust Garden: Seeding Success

Gold medal winner

Joe Wilkins' garden, The King’s Trust Garden: Seeding Success, is inspired by hostile environments. It highlights pioneer plants and demonstrates how their seeds symbolize potential for life, growth, and optimism for the future. Additionally, it draws parallels between these concepts and the potential found in young people.

Our Manager and yard team at our Scotland Depot put in quite the effort for this garden with just over 20 ton of Reclaimed Whin Kerbs sourced and palletized in a fairly short space of time. We also supplied angular rocks and gravels for the garden built by contractors The Landscaping Consultants.

The garden will be redesigned to accommodate its final destination at Uxbridge College, West London where it will be used, developed and maintained by students enrolled on The King’s Trust programme and the local community.

As always it's been a pleasure playing our part as a supplier and it has been fantastic to see the amazing gardens created by all the talented designers and landscapers at the show and with the judging now complete they can all relax and enjoy. Congratulations to you all!