RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 | A Place to Read Balcony Garden
Viking's ‘A Space to Read’ garden, created by designers Freddie Strickland and Ben Gifford, starts my coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. This stunning balcony garden perfectly demonstrates why the Balcony and Container Gardens along Serpentine Walk remain one of my favourite places to get inspiration for our own small garden. And this year did not disappoint.
Creating the Ultimate Outdoor Reading Room
Freddie and Ben have transformed a compact balcony garden into an enchanting outdoor reading sanctuary, specifically designed for a couple who share a deep passion for both gardening and literature. From personal experience, sitting in this thoughtfully designed space genuinely makes you feel ensconced in nature. It’s the perfect backdrop for peaceful reading.
Designer Seating
One of my favourite elements in the garden is the seating - beautiful chairs from the Bristol-based design studio and workshop, Konk. These elegant armchair-style seats showcase:
Luxurious Pierre Frey multi-coloured outdoor fabric in harmonious shades, inspired by the crochet-knitted throws of the 1970s
Cosy Klippan blankets for ultimate comfort during cooler evenings
Thoughtfully placed Anglepoise lamps ensuring the reading experience continues as daylight fades
Viking’s Literary Connection
The garden brilliantly reflects Viking's dual commitment to outdoor exploration and literary culture. The connection becomes evident through Viking's renowned onboard libraries, carefully curated by Heywood Hill - London's prestigious independent bookseller and Royal Warrant holder.
Library Wall Feature
The garden's most eye-catching element is undoubtedly the back wall design, which evokes the appearance of a well-stocked library using rectangular terracotta tiles from Mosaic Factory.
Balcony Gardening Plant Selection
All the plants are thoughtfully arranged in aged metal planters and terracotta pots, including:
Climbing Element:
Rosa 'Veilchenblau' - A spectacular rambling rose featuring clusters of purple-magenta blooms with distinctive white centres
Ground Level Planting:
Geranium sylvaticum 'Album' - A compact herbaceous perennial with pure white, saucer-shaped flowers
Cornus kousa 'Milky Way' - A robust, spreading small tree with cream coloured petal-like bracts
Epimedium 'Orangekönigin' - An evergreen perennial with sprays of dainty light orange blooms
Key Takeaways for Gardeners
Viking’s ‘A Space to Read’ balcony garden offers valuable inspiration for anyone looking to maximise a small outdoor space:
Multi-functional design - combining relaxation, reading and gardening
Vertical growing - use wall space with climbing plants
Comfort considerations - prioritising seating and lighting for extended use
Scroll down for more photos showcasing this beautiful reading garden...
Garden Designers | Ben Gifford (left) & Freddie Strickland (right)
Pictured on the right are Freddie and Ben with Managing Director of Viking Cruises UK, Wendy Atkin-Smith.
“We have been proud supporters of the RHS for many years, and this is the fourth year we have sponsored a balcony garden - they provide great inspiration for how a small outdoor space can create a functional and interesting garden. We also like to get behind emerging talent and to encourage creativity across the board - it’s Freddie and Ben’s first time designing a garden at the show, so we’re thrilled to be able to support their debut. All of the staterooms on our ocean ships have private verandas, so the balcony gardens align well with the design of our ships and our Nordic heritage - as well as our love of the outdoors. Our verandas are also one of our guests’ favourite places to read so this was our inspiration behind this year’s design.”
On Monday, the Preview Day at the show, Viking invited several authors to the garden. On the left above are Louise Doughty, Karen Burns-Booth and Alice Loxton. And on the right are Esther Freud and Fiza Saeed McLynn.
More RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 Coverage
If you would like to join me on a tour around this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, simply head over to my YouTube channel. In this video, I interview Freddie and Ben about their Silver-Gilt winning design, plus give you a look around the other Balcony Gardens, Jo Thompson’s Gold medal-winning Show Garden, the Small Show Gardens, the Alitex and Bamford tradestands, plus spot some celebrities!
Photography | Rona Wheeldon