The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 is set to host a garden unlike any other. The Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden, designed by award-winning landscape artist Manoj Malde, aims to start conversations and challenge misconceptions about HIV during the famous flower event.
Partnering with rugby legend Gareth Thomas, Malde has created a space that blends beauty with a powerful message. The garden reflects hope, progress, and resilience—a stark contrast to the stigma that still surrounds the virus.
Thomas, who has openly shared his HIV journey, is using this opportunity to educate visitors on how far treatment has come. Through vibrant flowers and thoughtful design, the garden tells a story of change, proving that HIV should no longer be met with fear or prejudice.
Highlights Growth and Unity
Gardening has always been a form of storytelling, and Malde is using it to shift perceptions. His vision, shaped by Thomas’s lived experience, transforms plants into symbols of progress and acceptance.
Instead of focusing on loss, the design highlights growth and unity. Every bloom represents a step forward, showing that people living with HIV can lead full, healthy lives.
Thomas has played an active role in shaping this garden, ensuring it speaks to those who still hesitate to learn the facts. He hopes visitors will leave with a new perspective—and maybe even take that understanding home to share with others.
HIV Awareness & Acceptance
For decades, misinformation has fuelled stigma and discrimination. But science has rewritten the narrative. Effective treatment means that HIV is no longer a death sentence—it’s a manageable condition.
Despite this, outdated beliefs persist. According to a Tackle HIV survey, nearly a quarter of people avoid HIV testing due to misconceptions about risk. This garden aims to tackle that head-on.
Displayed at one of the world’s most famous flower shows, this project reaches an international audience. Malde and Thomas are proving that awareness can bloom in unexpected places—even among the roses.
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