Last chance to save UK’s ‘forgotten forests’ highlighted in Chelsea garden

The fight to save the UK’s “forgotten forests” – ancient woodlands buried under timber plantations – is being highlighted with a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The Woodland Trust’s forgotten forests garden, designed by Ashleigh Aylett, is among the show gardens unveiled for this year’s horticultural event, along with exhibits supporting youth mental health, nature such as bats and hedgerows, and managing water in cities.

The forgotten forests garden highlights the Woodland Trust’s work to save ancient woodlands that were felled for plantations of non-native conifers to boost timber supplies after the Second World War.

More than 900 square miles of the UK’s original broadleaf woodlands lie under these plantations, and while the seeds and soils of the ancient habitats still lie dormant under the ranks of conifers, restoring them has become an urgent task, the charity said.

The Woodland Trust said the “irreplaceable” habitats could regenerate, but the seed and soil base will not survive another cycle of harvesting and replanting of commercial conifer crops.

And it accused the Government of delivering only a fraction of the promised restoration to the damaged natural habitat – which supports far more native wildlife than commercial timber crops.

The Chelsea Flower Show garden will highlight the Woodland Trust’s approach to restoring these woodlands, which involves thinning out non-native trees to let in sunlight, encouraging the return of native species including bluebells and wood anemones from the soil seed bank.

It will feature uniform conifers which give way in a transitional zone to richer, naturally regenerating woodland.

Woodland Trust ambassador Dame Judi Dench said the “inspiring and immersive garden is a vital reminder of what our irreplaceable ancient woodlands give us: peace, beauty and a thriving home for countless rare species”.

“I’ve always felt there is profound wisdom in trees; an ageless wisdom that we must retain and let speak again,” she said.

“That’s why this garden matters so much to me. Bringing these forgotten forests back to life is a gift we have a responsibility to give to everyone – people, wildlife and the planet.”

“Regeneration”

Ms Aylett said the garden was about “amplifying an urgent regeneration story”.

“Designing at RHS Chelsea gives you the chance to influence domestic and commercial garden-making and wider conversations about ecology and conservation,” she said.

Government pledges to put damaged woods on the path to recovery by 2030, should have included restoring 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of privately owned ancient woodland by now, according to the Woodland Trust, but just 1% of that has been restored.

Nick Phillips, principal forestry policy advocate at the Woodland Trust, said: “Failing to restore even a fraction of the ancient woodland we were promised is simply unacceptable.

“Ancient woods are irreplaceable, and every year of inaction pushes them closer to permanent loss. If we are serious about saving these precious habitats, we need urgent action – not just empty promises.

“We stand ready to work with governments and landowners to turn these commitments into real, on-the-ground recovery and hope our garden at RHS Chelsea 2026 will spark urgent and meaningful conversations with policy makers and gardeners alike.”