A YORK houseplant company has been presented with a Gold Medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Online business GrowTropicals was commended for its exhibit, The Orchids of China – Beauty & Conservation - inside the show’s Great Pavilion.
The project featured “remarkable” orchid species, seldom seen in the UK - including plants from Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden.
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It was made on behalf of non-profit organisation Orchid Conservation Chelsea.
Speaking about this, a spokesperson for GrowTropicals explained: “The display highlighted the growing global threat facing orchids from habitat loss, climate change and illegal plant collection.
“A standout moment of the show saw Cymbidium faberi ‘Guanding’ receive the first Chelsea-awarded RHS Award of Merit on OCC’s sister exhibit, The Chinese Scholar’s Study, recognising the exceptional quality and historic significance of the species.”
The win marks the company’s third Gold Medal at Chelsea, following previous successes in 2023 and 2025.
Founder of the company, Jacob James, said: “As the key operations partner for this global collaboration, it's always an honour to work with the world's leading conservation organisations to deliver such an important message on the world’s biggest horticultural stage.”
With more than 31,000 species worldwide, orchids are the largest family of vascular plants on Earth and play an important role in ecosystems through their relationships with fungi and pollinators.
Following the show, many of the plants will become part of the UK’s National Plant Collection of Cymbidiums in Sussex, where they will be cared for by The Mathers Foundation, which specialises in orchid conservation.
The project brought together organisations from across the world, including partners in China, Hong Kong, the United States and the UK, as part of a major international effort to protect endangered orchid species.
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