RHS Chelsea 2025: Orchids, Conservation & Global Collaboration

We're excited to announce that we’re returning to RHS Chelsea Flower Show as a core partner in the Orchid Conservation Chelsea exhibit. 

After contributing to award-winning exhibits in 2023 and 2024, we are once again joining forces with botanical institutions and researchers worldwide to shine a spotlight on orchid conservation across Asia and the Pacific.

With over 31,000 species, Orchids represent the largest family of vascular plants on Earth and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Their ecological roles are complex: many form intricate relationships with pollinators, fungi, and other plants, and their presence often signals the health of an ecosystem.

However, these same features make orchids extremely sensitive to environmental change. Habitat loss, deforestation, illegal collection, and climate change are causing alarming declines in wild orchid populations around the globe.

Our mission at Chelsea 2025 is to educate, inspire, and encourage action through real-world conservation stories and to highlight the importance of protecting orchids in their natural habitats.

This Year’s Theme: Orchids in the Wild – Hong Kong, Australia, Asia & The Pacific Islands

The 2025 exhibit is divided into four detailed habitat zones, each created in partnership with scientists, botanical gardens, and conservation organisations to represent native orchid species and their ecosystems:

Orchids of Hong Kong & South China

In collaboration with Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, this section displays rare orchids such as the Long-Eared Dog Orchid (Bulbophyllum bicolor) and Philodota chinensis, both native to South China’s subtropical forests. The exhibit explores current conservation practices in Hong Kong, including orchid monitoring, habitat restoration, and ex-situ cultivation.

Orchids of Singapore

Singapore’s native orchids are a conservation success story. Once nearly extinct in the wild, species like Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi and Callostylis pulchella have been reintroduced into parks, reserves, and even city streets thanks to government-led programmes. Visitors will walk through a reconstructed freshwater swamp forest, highlighting how urban design and biodiversity can go hand-in-hand.

Orchids of Hawaii

Despite their isolation, the Hawaiian Islands are home to only three native orchid species. All of them are endangered. Peristylus holochila, with fewer than 30 known individuals remaining, is at the centre of urgent conservation work. This section explores the role of micropropagation, seed banking, and even the future potential of orchid gardens as conservation tools.

P. holochila on Molokai, 2004

P. holochila seedling reintroduction, Molokai, 2011, by Lawrence Zettler

Orchids of Australia

Australia’s terrestrial orchids are some of the most spectacular in the world. Partnering with the University of Western Australia, this zone recreates a native bushland ecosystem featuring dramatic grass trees and vibrant orchids like Blue Sun Orchids (Thelymitra spp.) and playful Donkey Orchids (Diuris spp.), some of which will be showcased at Chelsea for the first time ever.

The Bigger Picture

Over 25 global institutions are contributing plants, knowledge, and field data to this shared effort.

Participating organisations include:

Throughout the week, our scientists and conservationists will be on hand at our Genius Bar to answer questions, share conservation strategies, and explain their ongoing research.

See The Orchid Conservation Display in Person

Where? RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London
When? 20th–24th May 2025
How? Tickets available from the RHS website

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