Chelsea Flower Show Says 'Yes' to Gnomes Again

If you need further evidence that whimsy has returned to the garden, consider the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show.

Britain's premiere gardening event, organized by the Royal Horticulture Society, lifted a long-standing ban on garden gnomes this year as part of a fundraiser that invited celebrities to decorate whimsical garden statues. The “celebrity gnomes” were then auctioned off, raising more than £20,000 for the Society’s Campaign for School Gardening.

The ban on “statuary and other sundries,” set in place in 1927, was relaxed just one other time, in 2013, as part of the show’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Representatives for the Society felt this year’s temporary suspension inspired a more playful approach to gardening that aligns with its efforts to encourage children to garden.