Penn Wood inspires Chelsea garden

Penn Wood, an ancient woodland in Buckinghamshire, is being recreated at the 2026 Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show as the model for the Woodland Trust’s “Forgotten Forests” garden. (bucksfreepress.co.uk) The garden is designed by Ashleigh Aylett and will appear at the London show from May 19 to May 23, 2026. The Royal Horticultural Society says it will take visitors through the restoration of a damaged ancient woodland once crowded by non-native conifers. (rhs.org.uk 1) (rhs.org.uk 2) The Woodland Trust said the exhibit is backed by Project Giving Back, with additional support from Lloyds Banking Group and Hillier Nurseries. The charity says the planting is meant to show how rare ancient woods can recover when dense commercial plantations are removed. (woodlandtrust.org.uk) Penn Wood sits near Beaconsfield in the Chilterns and contains ancient woodland, grassland, wet woodland and wood pasture. The Woodland Trust says those habitats support species including bluebells, primroses, oak and beech. (woodlandtrust.org.uk) The site also carries the history the Chelsea garden is trying to explain. The Chilterns National Landscape says Penn Wood is one of the largest ancient woodlands in the Chilterns, and part of the site is managed as wood pasture by the Woodland Trust across 136 hectares. (chilterns.org.uk) The “forgotten forests” label refers to ancient woodland that still has old woodland soils and ecology underneath later planting. The Woodland Trust says many of these woods were replanted with fast-growing non-native conifers after the Second World War to boost timber supply. (woodlandtrust.org.uk) At Chelsea, that message will reach one of Britain’s biggest horticultural audiences. The Royal Horticultural Society says member days are already sold out, with public tickets starting at £107 for the five-day show at Royal Hospital Chelsea. (rhs.org.uk) Aylett said in a Woodland Trust post that the garden is intended to pair Chelsea’s visual spectacle with a case for protecting ancient woods. In May, visitors will see a show garden rooted in a real Buckinghamshire forest that is still being restored. (woodlandtrust.org.uk)