At this year's Chelsea Flower Show, multidisciplinary creative studio Of-A exhibited a dark botanical landscape featuring volcanic rock, burnt trees, and delicate flowers set within a hemispherical metal structure. Slow Dream is the second expression from Of-A's evolving series of so-called 'garden objects', which it debuted with the Moon Garden during Frieze Week London 2025.
A Standout Botanical Installation by Of-A at the Chelsea Flower Show
What is a plant, if not a slow imagination of place?
The conceptual horticultural objects aim to bring fragments of landscapes indoors in the form of self-contained living gardens that forego traditional horizontal formats in favor of a more architectural approach. Informed by interior garden traditions, the installations feature metal structures filled with plants and water features that utilize Of-A's own minimalist curving tap design.
The team exhibited a dark botanical landscape featuring volcanic rock, burnt trees, and flowers at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. Presented as part of the show's Floristry Laboratory program, 'Slow Dream' explored the boundaries of science, nature, and plant growth through innovative floral design techniques.
Through the installation, Of-A approached the garden, allowing others to see it as a magnificent landscape with plants, but at the same time, it built an emotional and spatial experience. Co-founders artist Raluca Grada-Emandi and architect Laura Lim Sam conceived Of-A Garden as a space where the garden exists simultaneously as an object, an atmosphere, and a living presence. With Slow Dream, the duo sought to create an environment that felt both geological and futuristic, imagining nature as something continuously evolving and reshaping itself into new forms.
Designed by Florists Wagner Kreusch and Frida Kim
Developed in collaboration with floral artists Wagner Kreusch and Frida Kim, the installation imagined the garden as a territory still in formation. The designers incorporated burnt elements to signify cycles of failure and renewal, alongside charred matter evoking volcanic landscapes and vegetation that appeared more like a silhouette than a decorative display.
The dark palette aimed to create a dreamlike atmosphere that was heightened by the sound of the trickling water provided by the water feature. Blackened matter and geological textures, including volcanic rock from Iceland, formed a backdrop for dense planting featuring Himalayan blue poppies, cobra lilies, tree ferns, wind nymphs, maidenhair vine, carnivorous sarracenia, and dense mosses.
The metal structure that supported the garden was fabricated by Brighton-based Kingston Rigging, which specializes in yacht rigging and marine and architectural fabrication. Medals are not awarded for the floristry competition held in the Great Pavilion during the annual horticultural show; however, Slow Dream was named the Winner of the Floristry Ambassadors' Award.
What do you think of this piece? One thing's for sure... Chelsea Flower Show won't stop! Every year just gets better.
Photos by: @edmundsumner.
