Sleeping Gaia Sculpture Wins Garden of the Year at Chelsea Flower Show
Sarah Eberle's 'On the Edge' garden, featuring a giant sleeping Gaia sculpture, won Garden of the Year at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. The sculpture was created by artists Tom Hare and Tim Wood, with Hare crafting the hair from over 600 willow branches and Wood carving the face, crown, and shoulders from a fallen tree. A dry stone archway by Noble Stonework passes through the torso. Eberle, one of only three women to win best in show as a solo designer in Chelsea's 100-year history, designed the garden for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, highlighting 'edgelands'—neglected countryside at the edges of UK towns and cities. The garden features native plants supporting pollinators and wildlife habitats, with a deliberately wild aesthetic.
Key facts
- Sarah Eberle's 'On the Edge' garden won Garden of the Year at the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
- The garden features a giant sleeping Gaia sculpture by Tom Hare and Tim Wood.
- Hare used over 600 willow branches for the hair; Wood carved the face, crown, and shoulders from a fallen tree.
- Noble Stonework built a dry stone archway through the torso.
- Eberle is one of only three women to win best in show as a solo designer in Chelsea's 100-year history.
- The garden was designed for the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
- The garden highlights 'edgelands'—overlooked countryside at the edge of towns and cities in the UK.
- The design uses native plants to support pollinators and wildlife habitats.
Entities
Artists
- Sarah Eberle
- Tom Hare
- Tim Wood
Institutions
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show
- Campaign to Protect Rural England
- Noble Stonework
- Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE)
- Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)
- Royal Hospital
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom