Hadlow College has bloomed once again at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this year taking home a prestigious Silver Gilt medal for its imaginative and educational exhibit, No Such Thing as a Toadstool.
Building on last year’s bronze medal, the 2025 exhibit grabbed the attention of visitors, including actress Joanna Lumley (pictured below right), and judges alike with its bold, thought-provoking exploration of fungi and their vital role in the natural world.
The immersive display drew on the rich diversity of fungal forms and functions, demonstrating how these often-overlooked organisms are key to everything from ecosystem health to future innovations in sustainability and medicine.
Set within a woodland-inspired backdrop, the exhibit featured a range of plants and edible mushrooms, all plants grown at Hadlow College, and engaged visitors with the ecological, medicinal, and industrial importance of fungi. The title, No Such Thing as a Toadstool, reflects the scientific perspective that all fungi form part of a broader, complex web of life, regardless of their edibility.
The construction and planting of the exhibit involved students at every stage from the very earliest exploration of materials through to students being on site at Chelsea for the build, including representing the college and the horticultural industry during the show. Some their names even adorned the sides of the exhibit!
Alan Harvey, Hadlow College’s Head of Curriculum for Horticulture and Floristry, says: “I am so proud of the achievements of our students and staff who have been involved in our award winning display at Chelsea. At Hadlow College we are proud of the fact that our students get to work on such amazing projects as RHS Chelsea 2025.”
Hadlow College has a proud tradition at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with past students and staff having contributed to award-winning gardens, including Gold medals and the coveted Best Show Garden title.
The College itself was named Floristry College of the Year at the 2015 Show and took home a bronze medal at last year’s show. Exhibits can be awarded medals in one of four levels: gold, silver-gilt, silver and bronze.
To find out more about studying the subject at Hadlow College, visit the Horticulture subject page of the College website.
Alternatively come to the Hadlow College Open Evening, which runs from 3pm to 7pm on 4 June, or the Higher Education Open Morning, for entry in September 2026, which runs from 10am to 12noon on 26 June.
Visit the Events page of the College website to register.
Source Hadlow College
