Cornwall based Burncoose Nurseries team are celebrating today after being awarded a Gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, for their display, ‘Over the Garden Hedge’.
In their 42nd year attending Chelsea the Burncoose garden, sponsored by Hand Picked Hotels, located in the Great Pavilion, is designed by Louisa Lazarowicz and Eve Swanson. The 82m2 garden celebrates rare and unusual plants, not often found in the average garden. A judges’ favourite was Cornus kousa ‘Scarlet Fire’ – a spectacular new introduction from the USA with long lasting vibrant pink to fuchsia bracts.
The stand features an impression of a Cornish hedge, which is a beautiful traditional stonework wall providing both clear definition and soft planting opportunities. The Cornish hedge marries two gardens; on one side a temperate rainforest inspired garden, and over the hedge, drought tolerant coastal planting.
Owner of Burncoose Nurseries, Charles Williams said: “We are delighted with the award of a Gold medal, our 29th Gold medal at Chelsea. The team have worked tirelessly, and this is hard earned and well deserved. We wanted to demonstrate gardens are a wonderful place to create microclimates and spaces that support diversity, both from an ecological and sociological perspective; think of the hedge, not as a barrier, but as a point of connection. 'Over the Garden Hedge' encourages us to look to our neighbours and celebrate the harmony and flow of two worlds coming together.”
Supporting the theme of collaboration and inclusion, Burncoose teamed up with Guernsey based charity Grow. The charity, which is also supported by stand sponsors, Hand Picked Hotels, supports adults with learning disabilities and difficulties to build confidence and life skills through occupational training and mentoring in areas including horticulture, hospitality, retail, and woodworking, helping them feel valued and included in the workplace and wider community.
Through the partnership, Burncoose and Grow highlighted the positive impact gardening can have on mental health and in supporting diversity and inclusion. Two Grow crew members, Alex Houchard and Alex Adamson, accompanied by Grow’s Horticultural Manager, Stuart Smale and Director, Marguerite Talmage, travelled to Chelsea to be part of the show build up. They also supported the installation of two handmade bug hotels, which they and fellow Grow crew members built to feature in the garden.
Supporters of Grow, Hand Picked Hotels, a unique collection of award-winning country house and spa hotels located throughout the UK and the Channel Islands, is once again sponsoring the Burncoose garden. Julia Hands, Chairman, said: “Burncoose’s display at Chelsea is always a source of inspiration. At Hand Picked Hotels, our gardens and outdoor spaces are an important part of the experience we offer our guests, and we see ourselves as custodians of these beautiful landscapes. We are delighted to see Grow's involvement in the Burncoose garden. All crew members have enjoyed and learnt from this wonderful opportunity.”
Marguerite Talmage, Director of Grow added: “The garden’s title, ‘Over the Garden Hedge’ speaks directly to the spirit of the collaboration — a partnership stretching across the water between Guernsey and the Cornish mainland. For Grow’s Crew, contributing handcrafted bug hotels for one of the world’s most celebrated horticultural events is a powerful statement: that creativity, skill, and ambition flourish when given the right environment, regardless of background or ability.”
The 2026 Gold medal brings the Burncoose medal tally to 29 gold medals, 15 silver gilt medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals, and a Plant of Year award in 2020 for Viburnum 'Kilimanjaro Sunrise'.