If there’s one RHS Chelsea Houseplant Studio that’s stolen the headlines this year, it’s Aphrodite’s Hothouse, otherwise known as “the sex garden”.
Multi-gold medal winner and Best in Show designer, James Whiting has teamed up with Lovehoney to create the ultimate pleasure garden. Celebrated for his maximalist, colour-popping creations, Whiting causes a stir every year at the world’s most famous flower show, but this year’s exhibit has a real (battery-operated) buzz about it.
Aphrodite’s Hothouse has already caused consternation on This Morning, with Alison Hammond pulling quite the face, while Monty Don discussed it on Have I Got News For You, revealing that his favourite is “the wheelbarrow”. It’s fair to say the anticipation for the exhibit is due to reach climax around May 18th when the exhibit is revealed.
Forget the lifting of the gnome ban, the controversial first for RHS Chelsea is a sexual wellness brand about to pop its cherry with a feature garden in the Houseplant category, themed around devotion, flirtation, lust and desire.
Chelsea’s cheekiest garden yet
“No shrinking violets as Chelsea Flower Show gets sexy”
“Chelsea’s first pleasure display confirms gardening has always been a hotbed of sex”
“Chelsea Flower Show goes risque with first ever sex garden in 2026 to ‘break taboos'”
Lovehoney presents: Aphrodite’s Hothouse
Set within a blushing red 18 ft glasshouse, visitors will be seduced by the walk-through experience… think tunnel of love, but leafy. The concept draws heavily on theatrical set design, creating the feeling of going backstage and stepping into a theatre of houseplants, with a cheeky peep-show vibe.
Expect to see sultry orchids, glistening Anthurium, pendulous Nepenthes and wandering vines that coil and entwine with knowing intent. The planting scheme has been chosen for their heart shaped leaves and suggestive forms.
This indoor garden teases. Among the exuberant foliage, sculptural forms peek out, subtly blurring the line between botanical curiosity and boudoir wink. Eyebrows will be raised, and it won’t be just the Philodendron erubescens blushing.
The Malvern Victorian Greenhouse
About James Whiting
James Whiting is a veteran of the Houseplant Studio area; he’s inventive, brilliant, and fearless in pushing the boundaries of plantscaping. The media can’t resist filming his maximalist, horticulturally rich creations. His first houseplant studio—a garden room disco seemingly suspended in the air by hot pink macramé—made Ideal Home ask: “brilliant… or bonkers?” Either way, his work is fresh, fun and totally unforgettable.
Queera Nightly gives her seal of approval
On Press Day, when the show previews to media and VIPs, drag queen Sabine Martin, aka Queera Nightly, will embody the goddess Aphrodite, joined by cheeky accomplice Eros for a specially commissioned one-off performance. Together, they will stir up mischief and matchmaking magic in their search for love — an RHS Chelsea visitor might just turn out to be Aphrodite’s perfect match!
The Lovehoney x James Whiting partnership
Jo Connarty, Global PR Lead for Lovehoney said of the partnership “We’re always looking for cultural spaces to show up in and new ways to tell stories about sexual wellbeing, especially where it’s been absent.” It’s a marriage made in horticulture with indoor garden designer James Whiting, who loves to tell stories with plants. Whiting’s aim is “to spark curiosity, break a few taboos and make people stop in their tracks.” This houseplant studio shows that the world-famous flower show can still surprise people and challenge somewhat taboo topics that should be considered as natural as houseplants are to indoor gardeners.
The Houseplant Studios 2026
See the full line-up of Houseplant Studios for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
