The Killik & Co 'A Seed in Time' Garden at RHS Chelsea 2026

The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden

About this garden

This is Baz Grainger’s third consecutive Chelsea show garden with Killik & Co — and arguably his most ambitious. Following a Gold medal in 2025 for ‘Save for a Rainy Day’, Grainger turns his attention to Britain’s disappearing wetland craft traditions and the urgent challenge of biodiversity loss. The UK ranks among the world’s most nature-depleted countries, with only around 50% of its biodiversity remaining against a global average of 75%. This garden is a direct, beautiful response to that statistic.

At the heart of the garden is a central wetland, surrounded by structures built with traditional straw bale and reed construction techniques — a genuinely disappearing craft from Britain’s natural wetland heritage. Crucially, the straw and reeds used in these structures are grown within the garden itself and harvested for ongoing maintenance, creating a genuinely circular system. The structure also captures and channels rainwater into a small flood zone, forming a living wetland habitat surrounded by fruiting trees, self-seeding plants and grasses — making more from less, in every sense.

With a background of over 20 years in the fashion industry before retraining as a landscape designer in 2017, Grainger brings a distinctive eye to the naturalistic planting palette of pale purples, creams, oranges and deep reds — warm, earthy and restorative. The garden aligns with Killik & Co’s investment philosophy of long-term thinking and multi-generational stewardship.

Baz Grainger retrained as a landscape designer in 2017 after 20+ years in fashion, won Silver and Best Global Impact Garden at RHS Hampton Court 2021, and Gold at Chelsea 2025.

Gallery

The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden
The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden
The Killik & Co ‘A Seed in Time’ Garden

Plant List95

Trees, Hedging & Shrubs

Dwarf field maple© WC

Acer campestre ‘Nanum’

Dwarf field maple

Silver birch 'Globe'© WC

Betula pendula ‘Globe’

Silver birch 'Globe'

Red osier dogwood 'Cardinal'© WC

Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’

Red osier dogwood 'Cardinal'

Beaked hazelnut© WC

Corylus cornuta

Beaked hazelnut

Purple-leaved filbert© WC

Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’

Purple-leaved filbert

Common hawthorn© WC

Crataegus monogyna

Common hawthorn

Witch hazel 'Amethyst'© WC

Hamamelis ‘Amethyst’

Witch hazel 'Amethyst'

Common walnut© WC

Juglans regia

Common walnut

Crab apple 'Van Eseltine'© WC

Malus ‘Van Eseltine’

Crab apple 'Van Eseltine'

Seedless medlar© WC

Mespilus germanica var. apyrena

Seedless medlar

Fruitless white mulberry© WC

Morus alba, fruitless

Fruitless white mulberry

Mock orange 'Lemoinei'© WC

Philadelphus ‘Lemoinei’

Mock orange 'Lemoinei'

Blackthorn© WC

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn

Pear 'Comte de Paris'© WC

Pyrus communis ‘Comte de Paris’

Pear 'Comte de Paris'

Rose 'Fields of Fromelles'© WC

Rosa ‘Fields of Fromelles’

Rose 'Fields of Fromelles'

Rose 'Francis E. Lester'© WC

Rosa ‘Francis E. Lester’

Rose 'Francis E. Lester'

Rose 'Paul's Himalayan Musk'© WC

Rosa ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’

Rose 'Paul's Himalayan Musk'

Dog rose© WC

Rosa canina

Dog rose

Burnet rose 'Andrewsii'© WC

Rosa pimpinellifolia ‘Andrewsii’

Burnet rose 'Andrewsii'

Snowball© WC

Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’

Snowball

Grasses

Brown top© WC

Agrostis capillaris

Brown top

Marram© WC

Ammophila arenaria

Marram

Big blue stem 'Red October'© WC

Andropogon gerardii ‘Red October’

Big blue stem 'Red October'

Lesser quaking grass© WC

Briza minor

Lesser quaking grass

Korean feather reed grass© WC

Calamagrostis brachytricha

Korean feather reed grass

Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'© WC

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster'

Feather reed grass 'Overdam'© WC

Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’

Feather reed grass 'Overdam'

Tufted hair grass 'Golden Dew'© WC

Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’

Tufted hair grass 'Golden Dew'

Wavy hair grass 'Tatra Gold'© WC

Deschampsia flexuosa ‘Tatra Gold’

Wavy hair grass 'Tatra Gold'

Foxtail barley© WC

Hordeum jubatum

Foxtail barley

Cogon grass 'Rubra'© WC

Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’

Cogon grass 'Rubra'

Dark purple Siberian melic© WC

Melica altissima ‘Atropurpurea’

Dark purple Siberian melic

White-flowered wood melic© WC

Melica uniflora f. albida

White-flowered wood melic

Purple moor grass 'Poul Petersen'© WC

Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea ‘Poul Petersen’

Purple moor grass 'Poul Petersen'

Purple moor grass 'Skyracer'© WC

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’

Purple moor grass 'Skyracer'

Purple moor grass 'Overdam'© WC

Molinia caerulea subsp. caerulea ‘Overdam’

Purple moor grass 'Overdam'

Bitter switch grass 'Sea Mist'© WC

Panicum amarum ‘Sea Mist’

Bitter switch grass 'Sea Mist'

New Zealand blue grass© WC

Poa labillardierei

New Zealand blue grass

Grassland Flowering Perennials

Yarrow 'Fanal'© WC

Achillea ‘Fanal’

Yarrow 'Fanal'

Giant hyssop 'Blue Fortune'© WC

Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’

Giant hyssop 'Blue Fortune'

Angelica© WC

Angelica archangelica

Angelica

Bishop's wort© WC

Betonica officinalis

Bishop's wort

Great pignut© WC

Bunium bulbocastanum

Great pignut

Californian white quamash 'Pink Star'© WC

Camassia leichtlinii ‘Pink Star’

Californian white quamash 'Pink Star'

Camass 'Maybelle'© WC

Camassia leichtlinii subsp. suksdorfii (Caerulea Group) ‘Maybelle’

Camass 'Maybelle'

Common camassia© WC

Camassia quamash

Common camassia

Peach-leaved bellflower 'Telham Beauty'© WC

Campanula persicifolia ‘Telham Beauty’

Peach-leaved bellflower 'Telham Beauty'

Double white cuckoo flower© WC

Cardamine pratensis ‘Flore Pleno’ white-flowered

Double white cuckoo flower

Baltic parsley© WC

Cenolophium denudatum

Baltic parsley

Brown knapweed© WC

Centaurea jacea

Brown knapweed

Red valerian 'Albus'© WC

Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’

Red valerian 'Albus'

Fennel 'Smoky'© WC

Foeniculum vulgare ‘Smoky’

Fennel 'Smoky'

Water avens© WC

Geum rivale

Water avens

Siberian iris 'Blue King'© WC

Iris sibirica ‘Blue King’

Siberian iris 'Blue King'

Siberian iris 'Papillon'© WC

Iris sibirica ‘Papillon’

Siberian iris 'Papillon'

Button snakewort© WC

Liatris spicata

Button snakewort

New Zealand satin flower© WC

Libertia chilensis

New Zealand satin flower

Silver horehound© WC

Marrubium incanum

Silver horehound

Sulphur cinquefoil 'Warrenii'© WC

Potentilla recta ‘Warrenii’

Sulphur cinquefoil 'Warrenii'

Burnet 'Prim and Proper'© WC

Sanguisorba ‘Prim and Proper’

Burnet 'Prim and Proper'

White Japanese burnet© WC

Sanguisorba tenuifolia var. alba

White Japanese burnet

Scabious 'Kudo White'© WC

Scabiosa incisa ‘Kudo White’

Scabious 'Kudo White'

Dwarf skullcap© WC

Scutellaria nana

Dwarf skullcap

Rue 'Elin'© WC

Thalictrum ‘Elin’

Rue 'Elin'

Common valerian© WC

Valeriana officinalis

Common valerian

Golden alexanders© WC

Zizia aurea

Golden alexanders

Next garden

The King's Foundation Curious Garden

The King's Foundation Curious Garden

Frances Tophill

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