The Angels’ Share – an RHS Chelsea Show Garden.

Posted by

Ali Barwani

29 May 2026

On 29 May 2026

Macbeth was convinced he was invincible until Great Birnam Wood decided to take a stroll to Dunsinane Hill. The Thane of Glamis thought a forest on the move was as likely as pigs flying. Had he popped by the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, he might have reconsidered his life choices.

Enter May Starey, the mastermind behind a garden that distils the essence of Scotland and ships it to London SW3. Located on the Serpentine Walk, her Balcony Garden tells the tale of a whisky distillery nestled in the foothills of Scotland’s Cairngorm mountains, with thoughtful planting transitioning from grassland to woodland. During this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show I had the pleasure of meeting May, and she invited me to cross the rope barrier into the exclusive territory of judges, sponsors, celebrities, and TV gardening royalty.

May’s passion for plants began in childhood, playing and helping on her Mum’s allotment. Her training in fine art and sculpture resulted in an initial career as an award-winning picture editor and video producer. Later, May retrained in Garden Design over three years. Today she combines her garden design practice with teaching the subject at Capel Manor College, where she trained.

The Balcony Gardens & Container Gardens at Chelsea are intended to provide inspiration to gardeners with limited outdoor space, showing how creativity and sustainability can blossom in a small setting. This category is also intended to help emerging garden designers get exposure. The Angels’ Share Garden, crafted by May Starey Garden Design, is her first Chelsea Garden, and it is a delightful blend of place and charm. As May and I chat, our conversation is peppered with laughter. With a twinkle in her eye, May explains, ‘the garden was created with a sense of playfulness, as you can tell’.

May’s debut garden at Chelsea was awarded the prestigious RHS Silver-Gilt Medal, the culmination of a journey that started last year when the designer, in association with her sponsor, Fettercairn Whisky, submitted a garden concept that was promptly accepted by the RHS.

After a spirited tour of the distillery, May faced the daunting task of crafting her first Chelsea Garden. I ask where the inspiration came from. May replies, ‘my husband (Andrew) reminded me of the tale of the angels’ share.’ This poetic term refers to the small percentage of distilled spirit that evaporates through the porous oak wood of a barrel as whisky ages. This ethereal concept inspired the garden’s theme: ‘copper, wood, and a small place for sharing’. And what about the hypothetical clients? The balcony space is ‘tailored for a young theatrical duo with a penchant for whisky and wildlife, hailing from the Cairngorms’. The Cairngorms, a majestic mountain range in Scotland’s eastern Highlands, boasts pristine streams cascading through forests and fields. Fettercairn, a Highland single malt whisky with a two-century legacy, is crafted in these very foothills of what is often called “The Garden of Scotland. The Cairngorms’ vast beauty has been distilled into the petite paradise May and I are now relishing.

May’s passion for plants and natural habits is obvious. The garden isn’t just a feast for the eyes; it’s a haven for pollinators and other wildlife. For example, the Silver Birch (Betula pendula) has been chosen as it is the favoured food source of the rare Kentish Glory moth (Endromis versicolora). With a wry smile, May informs me that the moth’s wings flaunt shades of brown and copper, mirroring the copper cooling rings and wooden barrels at Fettercairn. The flowers have been selected to attract insect pollinators, with key plants including natives like yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) and globeflower (Trollius europaeus), and insect friendly garden plants like geums and the tall bell flower (Campanula persicifolia) ‘Takion Blue’ helping complete the colour palette. May informs me that Matt Pottage described her planting as “exquisite” when he visited.

Attention to detail has equally been applied to the structure and decor. The planters and seating, made from reclaimed scaffold boards charred black, referencing aged whisky barrels. The coloured lime rendering of the wall subtly changing intensity with the weather. The floor is a delightful surprise—soft and springy, thanks to its eco-chic composition of bonded recycled cork. Incidentally, this quirky choice threw her a curveball, as the undulating surface threatened to turn everything topsy-turvy. May summarised, ‘it was a bit uneven, so it played havoc with the levels. To maintain the plan, the water feature had to have a bit taken off the top. May confided to me, ‘I had to walk away while the alterations were being made. Sometimes, you must trust people to do their job and hope they don’t turn your masterpiece into a garden design disaster’. Thankfully the corky conundrum worked out, because the daring water feature is the pièce de résistance —a vertical stream that started its journey as an original Fettercairn copper cooling ring. Now, instead of cooling whisky, water cascades down a grand copper sheet before playfully splashing over three horizontal wooden staves, recycled from whisky casks. It’s like a water park for grown-ups with a taste for the finer things in life!

Adaptability is at the heart of the design, with modular furniture that can move and be stored like nesting Russian dolls. Making it a space suitable for both solo reflection and social gatherings.

The trees and other plants are not only used to create a garden evoking the natural beauty of Scotland, but they have also been chosen to be either native to the Cairngorms or hardy enough to be grown in Scotland. May gives me an insight into her exceptional attention to detail as we admire the dwarf birch (Betula nana) growing by the pool, telling me ‘I really wanted that plant. I looked all over the country to try and source one. I could find the yellow cultivar ‘Golden Treasure’ but I held out until I finally found a grower offering the wild species.’ These plant choices matter, because by the time you read this May and her team will have taken down the garden, packed it up for shipping, and rebuilt it in its forever home at the Fettercairn distillery.

The colour palette used also tells a tale, it is based on the Angels’ Share tartan, a cloth designed to honour Scotch Whisky and imbued with the colours of whisky and earth, grain and mountains.

As the interview concludes May tells me about the importance of teamwork, ‘I was lucky having Julia Weeden as my fantastic project manager, a great construction team, and so many wonderful volunteers. It is not something you can do on your own.’ Finally, I ask if she would consider returning to the Chelsea Flower Show next year. After some thought, she replies smiling beatifically, ‘I would be delighted to come back and create a garden, but in 2028!’.