Chelsea Flower Show: Dame Judi Dench brings seedling from felled Sycamore Gap tree - on show's 'celeb day'

One of the offspring of Britain’s most photographed tree has made a surprise appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show after its tragic loss last year, accompanied by Dame Judi Dench.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show kicks off this week. Offering shopping, spectacular garden showcases, and an increasingly environmentally-oriented outlook, the show will run from 21 to 25 May at its usual home, the Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds in Central London. Monday (20 May), the day before the show opens to the public, is reserved for members of the media and special guests, and has seen celebrities turn out in force this year - ahead of an expected royal visit.

A regular attendee at the show, Ms Dench - one of Britain’s most celebrated actresses - placed a seedling grown from one of the felled Sycamore Gap tree’s seeds in a garden commemorating the co-founder of the National Trust.

Sitting in a dramatic dip between two hills alongside Hadrian's Wall, the famous Sycamore Gap tree was illegally felled overnight in late September 2023, causing a nationwide outcry. Once voted England's tree of the year, the roughly 300-year-old tree was featured in key scenes in Kevin Costner's 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It also caused some minor damage to the wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site managed by the National Trust, as it fell. Two men have since been charged with its felling.

On Monday, Dame Judi - who has previously professed a love of trees - was joined by seven-year-old competition winner Charlotte Crowe, a pupil from the closest primary school to Sycamore Gap, to place the tiny seedling. It was grown at at the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre in Devon, PA reports, and will be returned there after the show.

However, visitors to Chelsea this week will be able to visit it in the Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond. Dame Judi said she had named the seedling Antoninus, after the adopted son of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

Charlotte said of winning the competition, which involved children drawing a picture and writing a poem: “I am so happy that scientists are trying to grow the tree back as it means a lot to our school. I was so surprised that I had won the competition and am excited to go to London because I have never been before.”

The National Trust’s gardens director, Andrew Jasper, added: “The huge outpouring of emotion after the tree was felled showed that our deep-rooted feelings of connection to our natural heritage are as powerful today as they were in Octavia Hill’s lifetime. We hope that those who visit the garden at Chelsea this week will feel that beneficial connection to the natural heritage that we care for and also take inspiration from seeing the seedling – when we first saw the seedlings germinate, we knew there was hope for the tree’s future.”

Other celebrities have also been spotted at the show, including Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry, Bridgerton cast members Hannah Dodd (who plays Francesca Bridgerton) and Ruth Gemmell (who plays the family’s matriarch, Lady Violet), and BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham.

A royal visit is also expected on Monday afternoon, with Buckingham Palace last week confirming King Charles and Queen Camilla would also be attending the show.