“Our garden, Cleary Gottlieb: Time for Creativity, was awarded a coveted Gold medal by the judging panel.”
Brief: Create a garden where one can engage with creativity without distractions from technology
Current Stage: Completed
For the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Shovel + Spade was proud to be a contractor in the All About Plants category, with our garden, Cleary Gottlieb: Time for Creativity, awarded a coveted Gold medal by the judging panel.
Designed by Christina Cobb, the garden’s inspiration centred around reducing screen time to re-engage with creative hobbies in an environment free from distraction.
We worked extensively with local craftspeople and subcontractors to bring the garden to life, with the vast majority of plants and materials coming from within just 25 miles of the show site.
Solution: Divide the space into distinctive zones with contrasting planting, bridged by an oak glass-house for storing creative materials
Through the use of contrasting planting and a low, mixed native hedge the garden was split into two distinctive zones. At the entrance, where planting was entirely white and green, there was space to deposit a mobile phone. The muted tones of this area were intended to represent an absence of creativity.
The main focal point of the garden was a bespoke walk-through oak glasshouse, constructed using traditional joint and peg joinery. Filled with materials for creative hobbies, the glasshouse provided a transitional space for visitors to pause and select their desired creative pastime. Handmade shelves were filled with books, paints, pens, clay, sewing materials, and everything you could need to pass a creative couple of hours in the garden.
The main body of the garden was filled textured, colourful planting and unique multi-stem trees. A gentle water feature was a source of relaxing sound and movement, with beautiful handmade furniture providing options for sitting and creating.
