Another year of Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) shows comes to an end. However, with every show, there have been a few names that have caught our eye.

From winning Gold medals to People’s Choice Awards and Best Construction, these faces are the ones that you’ll want to look out for.

Sophie Leo

Freelance garden designer Sophie Leo was crowned RHS Young Designer of the Year at RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026 in July.

Leo took her first show garden to Badminton in recognition of those experiencing grief. Blue Diamond Garden Centres: Where Grief Grows Quiet was built by Ben Gifford and sponsored by Blue Diamond Garden Centres. Bearing a personal connection with the garden, she explains where the design originates from: “A few months before my mum died, she shared a sketch with me of a show garden she’d drawn while I was studying garden design.” 

A highly decorated garden, it also achieved a Gold medal and Best Construction. It’s exciting to see where Leo goes next.

Christina Cobb

After picking up a Silver-gilt medal for The Restorative Balcony Garden sponsored by Viking during her RHS Chelsea Flower Show debut in 2023, Christina Cobb always aspired to come back. In May, she returned to Chelsea with her All About Plants garden, Cleary Gottlieb: Time for Creativity.

Inside Cobb’s garden, built by Shovel and Spade Landscaping, a winding path led you from the entrance, through a wooden glasshouse, before reaching a peaceful seating area surrounded by vibrant planting, “where creativity, focus and time can be reclaimed,” explains the garden designer. 

To add to her accolades, she was also given a Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation Award back in 2021.

Charlie Chase

Charlie Chase, founder of Chase Gardens, stepped into RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 with his own garden for the first time.

The YoungMinds Garden, built by Frogheath Landscapes, was designed to highlight the crushing pressures affecting young people’s mental health and the importance of community. By giving young people the tools to better their mental health, the charity offers the space and confidence to get their voices heard and halt the mental health crisis amongst this generation.

He has since announced the growth of his team at Chase Gardens, and details his career and thoughts on social media.

Jason Grubb

JG Landscaping took home the Best Construction for a Show Garden award for The Blessings from the Sea garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026. The garden’s creative use of sustainable materials, including roof tiles made from 176 recycled safety helmets and mother-of-pearl accents from waste seashells, add to the garden’s green credentials.

Jason Grubb, owner at JG Landscaping, told Pro Landscaper that getting the award “makes it worth it”. He adds that you “couldn’t want any more” than the good feedback from judge Mark Gregory, who was particularly impressed with the construction, copper work and water elements and said the construction would hold up at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

Alfred Hilton

Based in Bristol, Arlington Landscapes picked up Best Construction for an Artisan Garden at RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026 for The Split Hazel Basketry Garden, designed by Henry T Pope. The garden was also given a Gold medal and voted People’s Choice.

Pope says on social media, “it was an absolute delight and honour to work on this project with Alf and the team, it was a really collaborative effort from the very start. I’m very grateful to Alf and his team for their commitment, eye for detail and kindness! Working with their whole team was lots of fun and wonderful to get to know so many great individuals.”