‘Soft porn’ to be peddled at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The so-called “sexual wellness” company Lovehoney is set to promote sex toys in its garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show this year.

The controversial display, entitled ‘Aphrodite’s Hothouse’, will feature red and pink plants associated with romance, alongside sex toys “tastefully woven” into the garden.

Designer James Whiting boasted that he hopes to “break a few taboos and make people stop in their tracks. Houseplants, much like pleasure, are something we should celebrate openly and abundantly.”

‘Crass advertising’

Lovehoney spokeswoman Jo Connarty added: “You don’t expect to see a sexual wellness brand at Chelsea flower show and that’s precisely the point. We’re always looking for cultural spaces to show up in and new ways to tell stories about sexual wellbeing, especially where it’s been absent.

“An immersive, unexpected pleasure garden designed to spark curiosity and challenge expectations, because if we want to change the conversation around sex, we can’t stay in our lane.”

But The Christian Institute’s Head of Communications Angus Saul said: “This display is crass advertising at the expense of public decency. Kids as young as five can attend the flower show and I’m sure this is the last thing parents want their child to be asking questions about.

“At a time when society and public officials are trying to protect children from the harms of online pornography, it is disappointing that such a prestigious staple of British culture would be happy to allow a company to expose children to such a tasteless display.”

Explicit advent calendar

In 2022, Christians wrote to Boots to object to the sale and promotion of Lovehoney’s sex toy Advent calendar.

The calendar was described as being suitable for “Anyone looking to spice up the festive season (and beyond) with their partner”, but there were no restrictions on who could purchase it, or on who could view the explicit instructions on the Boots website.

On behalf of local churches and Christians, Revd Tom McGibbon, Minister of Cleveley’s Baptist Church near Blackpool, told Boots: “To see Advent being used in such a way causes us much sadness and distress, we feel that it is an abuse of the Christian Advent season.

“Apart from this your website is open to all ages of people and there is a very real danger that children and young people will be caused harm if they were to view this content. We request that this Advent calendar be removed from your website and from sale altogether.”