Could This Cornish Garden Designer Help Save Lives at Chelsea Flower Show 2026?

Cornwall-based designer Darren Hawkes will bring an extraordinary and thought-provoking garden to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, partnering with The Lady Garden Foundation to break the silence surrounding gynaecological cancers.

The Lady Garden Foundation’s ‘Silent No More’ Garden will take pride of place on Main Avenue (MA323) from 19th–23rd May 2026, marking what is believed to be the first Show Garden at Chelsea designed for a gynaecological cancer charity.

A Garden with a Message

Designed by RHS Gold Medal–winning Darren Hawkes, the ‘Silent No More’ Garden aims to spark conversation about the five gynaecological cancers – ovarian, cervical, vulval, womb and vaginal – which claim 21 lives every day in the UK.

The immersive design will feature forms and planting that subtly echo the female body, inviting curiosity and encouraging visitors to confront the silence that often surrounds these cancers.

Darren said:

“I hope my ‘Silent No More’ garden will help shine a spotlight on the symptoms of gynaecological cancers, raising awareness of their devastating impact on women and their families when diagnosed late. I hope to encourage men across the UK to play an active role in conversations about the health of the women in their lives – in the same way I have as a husband, father, son and brother – so they know the right words and knowledge to help break the silence that too often surrounds gynaecological cancers.”

Inside the ‘Silent No More’ Garden

The show-stopping garden will blend bold, abstract hard landscaping with delicate, textured planting. Influenced by the work of Spanish artist Eduardo Chillida, Darren drew inspiration from Chillida’s Inguru III and La Casa del Poeta III to create striking clay structures and water features reminiscent of gynaecological anatomy.

Visitors will encounter four 2.5-metre-high clay structures, forming a cocoon-like space that evokes the protective nature of the womb. Within, richly planted borders will move from soft pastel tones to bolder shades, cascading around five sculptures created by ceramicist Hannah Hartwell, each representing one of the five cancers.

Botanical artist Veronica Ward has also been commissioned to paint plants featured in the garden, some of which appear in the garden’s official logo.

Key plants will include:

• Iris ‘Wondrous’ – a statement flower with large, ruffled blooms in soft peachy-pink tones

• Teucrium fruticans – silver-white stems thriving from summer to autumn

• Cistus creticus – delicate, crinkled petals in vivid pink

• Olearia macrodonta – architectural foliage adding gentle texture

The ‘2,026 Voices’ Campaign

The garden forms part of the Foundation’s year-long ‘2,026 Voices’ campaign, which aims to raise £1 million for research, awareness and education. The campaign calls for urgent national action, including higher HPV vaccination rates among children and improved cervical screening uptake.

Jenny Halpern Prince MBE, Co-Founder and Chair of the Lady Garden Foundation, said:

“We are incredibly proud, as a small, but fearless charity, to continue our campaign work on shining a spotlight on the vital conversations men and women need to have in the UK to overcome the devastating mortality rates of gynaecological cancers. We want our RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden to challenge traditional taboos on a national scale so every RHS Chelsea visitor who sees our garden will stop in their tracks and understand how our design can provide the language, knowledge and confidence to be comfortable engaging in vital conversations about their ‘private parts’ – whether with a friend, family or medical professional – to change the dial on real women’s cancer survival rates across the UK.”

Jenny shared that the journey to Chelsea was inspired by Emily Plane, a young ovarian cancer advocate who passed away at 28 in 2023 after urging the charity to bring their message to RHS Chelsea.

Lasting Legacy

After the show, part of the garden will be relocated to Jersey, becoming a permanent community space, while additional plants will be donated to the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton.

Charlie Pragnell, Managing Director of Pragnell, a supporter of the garden, said:

“We are delighted to support the Lady Garden Foundation at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 and to play a small part in their mission to amplify their important message.”

About the Lady Garden Foundation

Founded in 2014, The Lady Garden Foundation is a women-led charity determined to make gynaecological cancers #silentnomore. The charity funds research, education and awareness campaigns while pushing for earlier diagnosis and improved survival rates.

Every day, 60 women in the UK are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer, and 21 die. Through its bold campaigns and powerful network of donors, ambassadors and medical partners, the Foundation works to change these statistics.

Learn more or support the campaign at www.ladygardenfoundation.com.

About Darren Hawkes

Based in Cornwall, Darren Hawkes founded Darren Hawkes Landscape and Garden Design in 2013. His portfolio includes four award-winning Chelsea gardens, with Gold Medals for his Brewin Dolphin Garden (2015) and Maggie’s ‘Linklaters’ Garden (2017).

His SeeAbility Garden (2013) and ‘Listening Garden’ for The Samaritans (2023) both received Silver-Gilt Medals, with the latter later relocated as a restorative space at Bart’s Hospital in London.