"Impeccable": RHS Garden of the Year, a lavish and captivating display, at the Chelsea Flower Show 2025
Toby Keel
At the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show, our gardening team at SW3 unanimously declared Kazuyuki Ishihara's "Cha No Niwa - Japanese Tea Garden" the best garden of the year. Instead of the usual disagreements with the judges' selections, our garden editor, Tiffany Daneff, expressed her approval, praising the style and design of Ishihara's creation.
A blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics and contemporary garden design, Ishihara's garden offers a tranquil escape in the heart of leafy west London. The garden features various elevations, depths, and a combination of plants, trees, and natural elements such as raked gravel, moss, and craggy boulders. At the rear, a traditional Japanese building adds a sense of authenticity.
For several years, Ishihara has showcased his talents at Chelsea within smaller garden categories, but in 2025, his sponsors—Ambius, Calmic Japan, HB-101, and Glion—backed him to create one of the main show gardens at RHS Chelsea. The garden incorporates various plant species, including Acer palmatum, Enkianthus perulatus, Iris, Sedum, Hornbeam, and Pachysandra terminalis.
Tiffany Daneff hailed this garden as a triumph. Every vantage point in the garden offers a perfectly framed view, creating an immersive experience. she added that it presents an idyllic scene from every angle, making it a dream for photographers.
The garden's appeal isn't limited to its exterior – it also boasts exquisite attention to detail. Tiffany pointed out the hillocks of moss, gate entrances adorned with vegetation, and even the tranquil water feature. This attention to detail demonstrates a deep reverence for Japanese garden philosophy, which emphasizes harmony, contemplation, and a connection to nature.
Ishihara began his career as a flower seller before establishing his company in 1995. His love for traditional Japanese gardens extends back to his early days, when he was first introduced to Ikebana, a traditional Japanese art form dedicated to the appreciation of flowers, as well as an minute consciousness of the rhythm, form and balance in nature. Since then, his designs have recreated unforgettable, nostalgic landscapes inspired by this rich tradition.
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Embracing the blend of tradition and modernity, Ishihara's Japanese Tea Garden at the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show presented an exceptional home-and-garden design that showcased the beauty of home-and-garden landscaping. The tranquil oasis, with its detail-oriented elements, encourages a lifestyle that champions harmony, contemplation, and a connection with nature.
As a tribute to Ishihara's triumph at the Chelsea Flower Show, our platform offers up to 40% off magazine subscriptions, which provide enticing insights into exquisite homes, natural beauty, and fulfilling lifestyles – a perfect addition to anyone's home-and-garden living experience.
