This May, Dobbies Garden Centres is inviting gardeners to get into the spirit of RHS Chelsea Flower Show by creating an outdoor space that tells their individual story, in line with this year’s show theme: Your Space, Your Story.

Inspired by this year’s event, Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton has outlined ideas for how people can tap into the theme in their own gardens and create a space that tells their own unique story, as well as demonstrating how Dobbies is honouring the theme.

Heritage

When it comes to telling a story through your living spaces, Nigel notes that history is a good place to start. He says: “Heritage is an incredibly important part of Dobbies, particularly as we celebrate 160 years of helping British gardeners to grow in 2025. This year as part of our heritage collection, we’re excited to launch new bulbs and heritage seeds, as well as a wide range of home and garden accessories that pay homage to Dobbies’ origins as ‘Dobbie & Co’, a seed merchant founded in 1865.

“To honour your own heritage, consider weaving family heirloom plants into your garden design. Whether it’s a timeless David Austin Rose that’s been a family favourite for generations, or plants like Lupin and Clematis that have been popular for decades and can help evoke a feeling of nostalgia in your garden.

“In addition to plants, another great way to honour your heritage and tell a story through your garden is by mixing old and new accessories. Styling pots that you’ve inherited over the years with new containers is a great way to honour the history of your garden while creating a space that’s reflective of your current garden style.”

Sensory gardens

To embrace this year’s RHS Chelsea theme, Nigel suggests exploring sensory elements to really bring your garden to life and tell a multi-sensory story. He comments: “By creating a sensory outdoor space, you’re naturally telling a story through your gardening. Fragrant plants, textured flowers, water features and a thriving vegetable patch all contribute to the story of your garden and can help evoke personal memories through an immersive experience.

“Sensory gardens can be a wonderful way to remember stories of the past and celebrate the present. Salvia, with its fragrant leaves, is a fantastic choice for sensory spaces as its vibrant scent will help engage the senses and pairs well with the subtle fragrance of Digitalis, another RHS Chelsea favourite.”

Your garden living

Individuality sits at the heart of this year’s RHS Chelsea theme and Nigel emphasises that it’s an opportunity to create a truly unique space that reflects what’s personal to you. He says: “Garden living is unique to you and your family, and this theme invites you to design a space that suits your needs. Whether you’re passionate about gardening and want to create a plant-filled sanctuary; love entertaining and envision an alfresco dining spot to host friends and family; or aim to seamlessly blend the inside and out and use your garden as an extension of your home, this is the time to bring your vision to life. From plants and seeds, to garden furniture and outdoor cooking equipment, to outdoor toys for kids, Dobbies has everything to help you shape a garden that suits your personal style and meets your garden living needs.”

To explore Dobbies’ full range of plants and gardening products, and for more inspiration, visit www.dobbies.com.