A unique bee-friendly garden co-created by a Somerset-based company has earned the prestigious RHS People’s Choice Award at RHS Chelsea 2025. Protek partnered with the charity Bees for Development to create the striking Bees for Development balcony garden, titled ‘Making Life Better with Bees,’ which also received a Silver-Gilt award for its powerful environmental message.
This innovative balcony garden combines African craft traditions with British design ingenuity, offering visitors a colorful and sustainable urban sanctuary. Inspired by Bees for Development’s work supporting beekeepers across Africa, the garden emphasizes the critical relationship between bees, biodiversity, and local livelihoods.
Protek donated a range of water-based paints and stains that brought the garden’s vibrant palette to life. The designers carefully selected over 20 Protek colors, blending rich African hues such as Carmine Red, Clouded Yellow, and French Lilac to create a harmonious and uplifting atmosphere. A custom orange-brown shade was specially developed to complement the garden’s natural elements.
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Authenticity shines through a centerpiece oak trunk featuring a traditional African bark hive—a tribute to rural African communities. Upcycled planters crafted from reclaimed honey barrels and beehives showcase sustainable beauty and practicality, enhanced with intricate Protek-colored patterns. A hexagonal bench offers refuge and privacy in this compact urban space.
Vertical living walls adorned with solitary bee hotels highlight the crucial role of wild pollinators, while the planting scheme includes peat-free compost and drought-resistant species like Agapanthus, Kniphofia, and Gleditsia ‘Ruby Lace.’ These plants were chosen for their seasonal blooms, pollen, and nectar, contributing to wildlife support.
The garden’s vibrant colors and planting blend African and British styles, celebrating pollinators worldwide. Bees for Development has been empowering communities through beekeeping for over 30 years, and this RHS Chelsea display underscores the message: bees can make life better.
The garden encourages visitors to take action for nature—whether in a balcony, backyard, or windowsill—while highlighting bees’ crucial roles in reducing poverty, preserving biodiversity, and combating climate change.
Protek will continue its presence at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from July 1-6, 2025, showcasing a new garden designed by Matt Leigh of ITV’s Love Your Garden.
