The Goodness Within Garden for the Royal Windsor Flower Show 2026
The Goodness Within garden explored the idea of a regenerative, edible landscape - the garden had two halves to it - one side with a native edible meadow featuring a small pond with edible plants, and mycelium posts. The other half of the garden featured edible ornamental plants, with a key hole garden in to which vegetables were growing.
Designed for the charity Freely Fruity which is a community‑driven UK charity that tackles food insecurity, improves local biodiversity and empowers people to grow their own produce. Their mission : fruit should be free, local and accessible to everyone. They combine environmental action, education and community building with this mission.​
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The Brief:
The project began with a broad range of ideas and ambitions from Freely Fruity. My role was to identify the core themes and shape them into a coherent design concept that could be expressed within the show garden
My main focus was to ensure ​that we expressed the ideas in a most beautiful way and in a way the could be reused in public spaces and private gardens.
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We worked with Claire Evans Designs on our charity (Freely Fruity) show garden Goodness Within at the Royal Windsor Flower Show, and the result was nothing short of magnificent. Claire took our mission and values and translated them into a garden that was beautiful, meaningful, and expertly crafted.
From the first concept to the final installation, Claire’s creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail were exceptional. She understood exactly what we wanted to express as a charity and brought it to life with passion and precision. The garden became a true highlight of the show thanks to her vision and hard work.
If you’re looking for a designer who listens, collaborates, and delivers outstanding results, Claire Evans is the one. We couldn’t be happier with what she created for us.
Matt Knight, CEO Freely Fruity
The Circular Design
as a visible reflection of the natural cycles that sustain us all — what we grow from the earth, what nourishes us, and what we return back to the soil.
The shape also represents the community at the heart of Freely Fruity, where volunteers and local people come together to grow orchards and build community gardens with the goal of making fruit and vegetables available to those who need it.
Some favourite details from the garden
The planting scheme blends productive planting with ornamental species, highlighting the beauty and value of “edimentals” — plants that are both decorative and edible. Familiar garden favourites such as hostas sit alongside foraging plants including salad burnet and bistort, encouraging visitors to discover unexpected sources of food that may already exist within gardens and landscapes around them
Plant List
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Edible meadow:
Leucanthemum vulgare
Campanula persicifolia and nettle leaved
Sanguisorba minor
Cichorium intybus (wild Chicory)
Musk mallow (Malva moschata)
Trifolium pratense
Daucus Carrota
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Edimentals:
Anchusa azurea
Agastache Beelicious Pink
Tulbaghia viloacea ‘Alba’
Hylotelphium spectabile
Foeniculum vulgare
Allium sphaerocephalon
Nepeta faassenii Whispurr Blue
Dianthus carthusianorum
Hosta 'Purple Heart'
Centaurea montana jordy
Nymphaea (water lily)
Mentha aquatica (water mint)
Mentha Cervina
Keyhole Garden
At the centre of the garden sits a small keyhole garden, demonstrating how even the smallest space can become productive and abundant. Kitchen and garden waste placed into its centre naturally breaks down to feed the surrounding soil, which is filled with growing fruit and vegetables. Transforming waste into nourishment and supporting new growth.
Mycelium Structures
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Inspired by underground mycelium networks, the sculptural insect habitat represents the hidden connections within healthy ecosystems — the unseen threads that allow plants, vegetables and fruit trees to flourish.
Visual of the garden
Images from behind the show build - From growing on plants at home, to practicing show builds there was a lot of preparation in the build up to show day.
