RHS Chelsea Flower Show
CORE case study · RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London
Step Into Spring at RHS Chelsea 2022
CORE EDGE and CORE PATH helped turn the Step Into Spring concept into CORE’s first RHS Chelsea show garden.
- Client
- CORE Landscape Products
- Sector
- Show garden
- Location
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London
- Completion
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022
- CORE components
- CORE EDGE · CORE PATH
CORE RHS Chelsea show garden
Gravel stabilisation
Flexible steel edging
A landscape shaped by its purpose.
Step Into Spring was CORE Landscape Products’ first show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Designer Gillian Goodson developed the garden as a compact, inviting demonstration of the wider CORE landscape range.
The material palette centred on gravel, planting and weathered steel. Creepers supplied most of the plants, while Kenny Raybould led the physical planting and plant sourcing alongside the designer.
The brief
What the project had to achieve.
Create an inviting show garden that demonstrated how CORE products work together without allowing the product display to overpower the planting and overall composition.
- 01
Product-led, not product-heavy
The garden needed to demonstrate several CORE systems while retaining the balance and cohesion expected of an RHS exhibit.
- 02
Controlled gravel
The main path included a slight slope, so the gravel surface needed stabilisation rather than a loose, shifting finish.
- 03
Flexible geometry
Lawn, border and path interfaces called for an edge that could follow the designed garden lines.
- 04
A unified palette
The planting, gravel and Corten elements needed to read as one considered composition.
The CORE solution
Selected around the site—not just the surface.
The garden combined flexible steel CORE EDGE with CORE PATH across the gravel areas, including the gently sloping main route, alongside Corten screens and planters.
CORE PATH was installed beneath the gravel areas, including the sloping main pathway. Its low-profile recycled polypropylene grid restrained the gravel while allowing the surface to remain permeable.
CORE EDGE provided the flexible steel edging within the landscape. Corten screens and pre-weathered Corten planters extended the same warm material language through the garden.
Seasonal planting was selected to complement the rich colour of the weathered steel and to bring texture, form and layered depth to the completed exhibit.
The result
The finished garden presented a cohesive spring landscape in which the edging, stabilised gravel and weathered-steel elements supported the planting-led design.
Project outcomes
- Stable gravel across the main pathway and sloping areas
- Flexible edging integrated with the garden geometry
- A coordinated gravel, planting and Corten palette
- A complete product story within a planting-led show garden
Project team
The people behind the project.
- Designer
- Gillian Goodson
- Planting and plant sourcing
- Kenny Raybould · Prince of Plants
- Plant supplier
- Creepers Nursery
- Exhibitor
- CORE Landscape Products
Technical downloads
Project and product documents.
More CORE projects
View all case studiesSee another system in use.
Horticultural Hero garden with Sarah Eberle
CORE EDGE followed the changing path and planting geometry within Sarah Eberle’s multi-dimensional Horticultural Hero feature garden.
Read case study →
Precise show-garden levels at RHS Malvern 2025
CORE DATUM EDGE formed the adjustable borders for The Hierarchy of Plants, winner of the 2025 People’s Choice Best Show Garden and a Silver-Gilt Medal.
Read case study →
Sweeping datum lines at Maxilla Gardens
560 linear metres of CORE DATUM EDGE shaped sweeping pathways through a community garden beneath the Westway.
Read case study →Technical project support
Planning something similar?
Send the project location, intended use, drawings and photographs you have. The CORE team will help identify the relevant product route and the information still needed.
CORE Landscape Products: 5.0 / 5 · Excellent on Trustpilot from 533 reviews