Forgotten Forests come to light at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Senior PR officer
The Woodland Trust Forgotten Forests Garden, designed by Ashleigh Aylett, showcases our vital work to restore precious ancient woodland ecosystems currently lost under conifer plantations.
Today, more than 900 square miles of the UK’s original broadleaf forests lie buried beneath non-native timber plantations. Nick Phillips, principal forestry policy advocate at the Woodland Trust, said:
“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.”
Woodland Trust ambassador, Dame Judi Dench said:
"The Woodland Trust’s 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. 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.”
The garden is generously sponsored by Project Giving Back with support from Lloyds Banking Group, Hillier Nurseries, Whitkirk and Niwaki.
For all press enquiries, please contact media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The garden
The Forgotten Forests garden is the brainchild of award-winning designer, Ashleigh Aylett. Visitors follow the restoration journey of a timber-planted ancient woodland, buried under thick conifer, emerging back into a regenerated broadleaf wood that teems with life and colour.
The garden highlights the Trust’s urgent work to revive rare, centuries-old ancient woods that were cleared for plantations of fast-growing, non-native trees to boost the nation’s timber supply after the Second World War.
Most of the plants that feature are ancient woodland indicators, except for the western hemlock, which was dug up at Penn Wood in the Chilterns as part of restoration efforts there.
The garden features a seat carved from a 400-year-old oak that came down during a storm at a Woodland Trust site in Wales. It's made from a part of the tree that had to be removed, though most of the toppled trunk remains where it fell, to provide valuable deadwood habitat. The seating gives visitors a tactile connection to the precious ancient woodland we want to see flourish. After Chelsea, the seat will return to Wales for visitors there to enjoy.
At the heart of the garden is a ‘wishing tree’: a real field maple, adorned with elegant ceramic tags that carry messages of hope and support for ancient woodland, from well-wishers including Woodland Trust ambassadors and celebrities.
The garden designer
Ashleigh Aylett specialises in storytelling, creating intimate gardens that feel personal and grounded in their surroundings. Her style pairs relaxed, informal spaces with a love of wild, expressive planting.
In 2024, Ashleigh exhibited the Woodland Trust ‘49% garden’ at RHS Tatton, where she was awarded an RHS Gold Medal and named RHS Young Designer of the Year. She was also recognised by Gardens Illustrated as one of their ‘Ones to Watch in 2025’.
For the Woodland Trust Forgotten Forests Garden, she says she “was drawn to the challenge of translating something as slow and complex as woodland recovery into a space that could be experienced more immediately.”
Working collaboratively with the Woodland Trust, Ashleigh developed a design that captures this process of regeneration, and with the support of Project Giving Back, the Woodland Trust Forgotten Forests Garden could be brought to life at RHS Chelsea 2026.
Plant list
Highlights include:
Water avens (Geum rivale) has nodding, dusky-rose flowers and soft downy stems which bring gentle colour and texture to damp meadows, river margins and woodland edges. It’s great for gardens too as it’s a resilient perennial with a long season of interest.
Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) naturally favours damp soils on woodland edges, scrub and hedgerows. It’s a stunner with creamy-white flowers, brilliant red autumn foliage and heavy clusters of bright berries that birds love.
Red campion (Silene dioica) thrives in regenerating woodland edges and clearings, bringing vibrant pink flowers and soft texture over a long season. Chosen by Ashleigh to represent natural resilience.
Royal fern (Osmunda regalis) is our largest native fern, chosen to bring structure and drama to the garden and show the scale, texture and richness of the diverse habitats that develop in restored woodlands.
Trees and shrubs
- Dog rose (Rosa canina)
- Elder (Sambucus nigra)
- Field maple (Acer campestre)
- Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
- Silver birch (Betula pendula)
- Common beech (Fagus sylvatica)
- Wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana)
- Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus)
- Common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Ferns
- Hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium)
- Hard fern (Blechnum spicant)
- Male fern (Dryopteris affinis)
- Royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
- Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)
Dry stone wall plants
- Common polypody (Polypodium vulgare)
- Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)
- Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris)
- Common dog violet (Viola riviniana)
- Herb-robert (Geranium robertianum)
Grasses, sedges, rushes
- Wood melick (Melica uniflora f. albida)
- Grey sedge (Carex divulsa)
- Pendulous sedge (Carex pendula)
- Remote sedge (Carex remota)
- Wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
Perennials
- Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)
- Wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
- Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
- Pignut (Conopodium majus)
- Water avens (Geum rivale)
- Red campion (Silene dioica)
- Common valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
- Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
- Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
- Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon)
- Spurge laurel (Daphne laureola)
- False lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum bifolium)
- Herb paris (Paris quadrifolia)
Forgotten Forests
Ancient woodlands have evolved over centuries to form intricate ecosystems that cannot be recreated once lost – each is a unique mosaic of biodiversity, stretching from root to canopy. They store carbon, particularly in their rich soils, which are criss-crossed by fungi networks and stocked with seeds. Healthy ancient woodlands teem with plants and wildlife, and are vital in our fight against climate change and biodiversity decline. But many of them have reached a pivotal moment: this could be our last chance to save the UK’s forgotten forests.
After two World Wars, Britain was desperate for timber to help rebuild the country and landowners were encouraged to make their woodland more economically productive. Many ancient woodlands were cut down and replanted with vast blocks of fast-growing trees to produce timber. Non-native conifer trees were the most common choice.
The dense planting of these evergreen trees shaded the woodland in year-round darkness, and new management techniques, including heavy machinery and chemicals, were introduced. In this gloomy monoculture, biodiversity plummeted. Aside from a few plucky species that struggled on against the odds, the ancient woodland retreated into the soils and the seed bank – forgotten.
Many of these plantations from the 1950s and 60s are now ready to fell and harvest. Landowners are facing a choice between restoring these sites or felling and replanting the stripped land with more conifers. Without government support, another timber crop is often the most economical option. We need timber plantations – but not on the soils of ancient woodland. With careful management, these valuable strongholds of biodiversity and mitigators of climate change can recover and flourish, for the benefit of people and planet.
Links and assets
Download photos via WeTransfer, no archive or resale. Please credit ‘Woodland Trust and Philip Formby’ https://we.tl/t-mwatzfhZoqt2uj1u
Press release: Forgotten Forests garden at 2026 Chelsea Flower Show
Ashleigh’s blog: Our RHS Chelsea Forgotten Forests Garden
For all media enquiries, please contact media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
Notes to editors
For enquiries, please contact media@woodlandtrust.org.uk.
About the Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. With a vision of a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature, today the Trust owns and cares for more than 1,000 woodland sites, covering around 33,000 hectares.
The Woodland Trust has three key aims:
- protecting the UK's rare, unique and irreplaceable ancient woodland
- restoring damaged ancient woodland, nurturing precious pieces of our natural heritage back to life
- establishing new native trees and woods to create healthy, resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.
Access to all Woodland Trust woods is free so everyone can experience the physical and mental benefits of trees.
Ashleigh Aylett
Ashleigh began her horticultural career in 2022, training under renowned designers Emily Erlam and John Davies before launching her own studio in 2025. In just three years she has achieved remarkable success. At RHS Tatton 2024, Ashleigh won a Gold medal, Best Construction and was named Young Designer of the Year, the first woman to receive the title since 2017.
The following year at RHS Chelsea 2025, she secured a Gold medal and Best Balcony and Container Garden. Ashleigh is proud to be the first designer to win RHS Young Designer of the Year and then achieve a best-in-category victory at Chelsea the very next year.
Project Giving Back
Project Giving Back (PGB) is a unique grant-making charity that provides funding for gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. PGB was launched in May 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on UK charitable fundraising – effects that have since been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
PGB will fund 10 gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2026 and intends to fund a total of 62 gardens inspired by a range of good causes from 2022 to 2026.
PGB aims to boost UK-based good causes by giving them an opportunity to raise awareness of their work at the high-profile RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as supporting the relocation of the gardens to permanent homes after the show where they can continue to benefit the charities and their communities.
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