Kangaroo paws to arrive in Kensington Gardens
Chelsea Flower Show plants to be rehomed in one of London's Royal Parks
Australian flora from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show's Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth Australian garden, designed by Max Parker-Smith, will be replanted by Royal Parks’ horticultural apprentices as part of a climate resilience research project.
As the 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show has now ended, the plants from the acclaimed Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth garden are being moved to a permanent new home in Kensington Gardens, one of London's eight historic Royal Parks and free to visit for all. The Australian flora, including Anigozanthos (kangaroo paw), Callistemon (bottlebrush) and Melaleuca (paperbark), will be replanted by The Royal Parks' horticultural apprentices in the landscape running from Buck Hill Lodge through to Queen Anne's Alcove in Kensington Gardens. The planting forms part of a joint research project between the garden designer Max Parker-Smith and The Royal Parks, led by Matthew Pottage, Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy, exploring how plants native to South Australia and Western Australia respond to London's evolving microclimate.
Garden Designer, Max Parker-Smith comments:
"It is incredibly rewarding to see the flora from the 'Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth' garden find a permanent home at Kensington Gardens.
“This relocation ensures a lasting legacy for our 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show presence while forging meaningful partnerships rooted in conservation and climate-resilient planting.
“By rehoming species from the vibrant kangaroo paw to ancient grass trees, we are sharing the wild, authentic nature of South Australia and Western Australia. This transition mirrors the Journey Beyond spirit by continuing our storytelling of Australian innovation and the vital importance of sustainable, hardy landscapes in an ever-changing world."
Matthew Pottage, Head of Horticulture and Landscape Strategy, The Royal Parks, said:
"London is already experiencing hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters, and that is reshaping what we can grow. As part of our commitment to creating climate-resilient parks for future generations, we are diversifying planting across the estate, trialling new species and learning what thrives.
“Welcoming these South Australian and Western Australian species into Kensington Gardens gives us a genuine opportunity to understand how they perform in our conditions, and what that might mean for the way we manage planting across the Royal Parks in the years ahead.”
For the Royal Parks' horticultural apprentices, who will carry out the planting, the project offers a hands-on introduction to the kind of forward-thinking horticulture that will define their careers and London's green spaces in the decades to come.
The species have been carefully selected for their natural resilience. Kangaroo paws, in particular, are set to bring a striking splash of colour to Kensington Gardens. Evolved over millennia to withstand extreme heat, water scarcity and temperature swings, these plants are uniquely suited to the conditions London is beginning to mirror.
Kensington Gardens is free to visit for everyone, and Londoners and visitors alike will be able to watch the new planting establish and evolve in the coming months.
Russell Stevens, Head Gardener, Kensington Gardens, said:
"Kensington Gardens has a long history of bold, beautiful planting, and these Australian species will add something genuinely new to that story. The Journey Beyond the Tracks: From Adelaide to Perth garden was a real showstopper at Chelsea, and we are thrilled that its plants will now have a permanent home here for everyone to enjoy.
“Kangaroo paws are not plants Londoners are used to seeing in their parks, and I think visitors will be fascinated to watch them establish and evolve through the seasons. I am also proud that it will be our horticultural apprentices carrying out the planting - getting hands-on experience with this kind of innovative, climate-focused work is exactly what the next generation of horticulturists needs."
