The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is set to unveil a sex-themed garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by Lovehoney, a company known for selling vibrators. The garden, named Aphrodite's Hothouse, aims to challenge taboos and spark conversations about sexual wellbeing.
Designed by award-winning gardener James Whiting, the garden features a giant greenhouse with a large ornamental heart and props inspired by Aphrodite, including a clam with a pearl. Plants with heart-shaped leaves, red or pink blooms, and those associated with love and lust, such as orchids and flamingo flowers, will be used to create a 'pleasure garden' atmosphere.
Whiting stated, 'Chelsea flower show is the perfect stage for storytelling with plants, and I’ve never been one to play it safe. Creating the ultimate pleasure garden with Lovehoney was too irresistible to pass up.' He hopes the garden will 'break taboos' and encourage openness about pleasure and houseplants.
Lovehoney's Jo Connarty added, 'You don’t expect to see a sexual wellness brand at Chelsea flower show and that’s precisely the point. We’re always looking for cultural spaces to show up in and new ways to tell stories about sexual wellbeing.'
In another change, the RHS has lifted its long-standing ban on garden gnomes for this year's show. Celebrities will decorate gnomes to be auctioned off to fund the next generation of gardeners. The ban was last lifted in 2013 for the show's centenary.
Other highlights include a garden co-designed by King Charles, featuring his favourite delphiniums, and a garden co-designed by David Beckham with seven raised beds representing his shirt number. The Chelsea Flower Show runs from 19 to 23 May at the Royal Hospital Gardens.
