Building a legacy: Two years at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Undoubtedly the biggest event in the horticultural calendar, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the place to see trailblazing garden designs, discover new plants and get inspirations for our own gardens. For MEDITE SMARTPLY, it’s been the perfect opportunity to showcase some of our most innovative and sustainable products.

The Royal Horticultural Society held its very first flower show in 1827[1] in Chiswick and hosted around 250 exhibitors in one tent. Today, the world-famous event takes up 23 acres of land and hosts over 500 exhibitors and gardens, along with over 100 exhibitions in the Great Pavilion and over 250 stands. Around 168,000 visitors descend on Chelsea[2] across the five-day extravaganza in May and guest include VIPs, celebrities, and members of the Royal Family – a very prestigious event indeed.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a great opportunity to showcase the very best in garden designs, and we’re delighted to have been involved in not one, but two shows!

MEDITE SMARTPLY’s first venture was at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019, where we partnered with Wallgarden, bespoke maker of children’s playhouses, and award-winning garden designer and landscape architect Sarah Eberle. A miniature Hampshire-style cottage and London shop (modelled on the Pragnell fine jewellery showroom in Mayfair) were created out of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME (MTX) especially for the garden. Its aim was to welcome visitors with a keen sense of creativity and child-like imagination – which was a major theme of the show that year.

As well as having a guarantee of 50 years above ground and 25 years in ground, MTX features outstanding durability and dimensional stability – traits that were highlighted in a big way at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022!

Working once again with the show’s most decorated designer, Sarah Eberle, the MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future garden showcased our sustainable and innovative product range in the garden, themed around sustainability and the multiple applications and versatility of MEDITE SMARTPLY products.

The magnificent centrepiece of the garden, which was inspired by natural vertical rock strata, was created out of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME (MTX). SMARTPLY STRONGDECK and SMARTPLY SITEPROTECT were also used in the garden, STONGDECK or the roofing and SITEPROTECT for the fencing around the garden. Located in a prime spot on Main Avenue, the incredibly beautiful garden went on to win two awards; Gold for Show Garden and the award for Best Construction!

Speaking at the event last year, Sarah Eberle commented: “I enjoy the relationship of telling a sponsored story because that tests my ability. I like working with a particular product because I like to think outside the box, it stretches you to think about how to recycle, how to reuse – how can you use this product and give people the unexpected. I’m very happy with the outcome, it’s such an epic thing to build.”

As a company, we’re renowned for adapting products and services to suit end users’ needs whilst maintaining a consistent stance on sustainability and creating environmentally conscious products that add value throughout the supply chain. Our involvement in the RHS Chelsea Flower Shows highlights the durability and longevity of our products. The use of MTX demonstrates the product throughout its life cycle and highlights the versatility of engineered wood panels.

Will there be a third outing for us at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show? We’ll keep our eyes peeled!

You can relive the highlights of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 and learn more about the concept of the garden here: https://mdfosb.com/en/sustainability/our-sustainable-solutions/medite-smartply-building-the-future

[1] https://www.realflowers.co.uk/blog/rhs-chelsea-flower-show-ten-top-facts/

[2] https://www.gardensillustrated.com/chelsea/chelsea-flower-show-in-numbers/