The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) is world-renowned for quality gardening advice and support for a large number of horticulturalists and gardeners.
Their aim is to “enrich everyone’s life through plants and make the UK a greener, more beautiful place” and they’re responsible for a large number of shows and events, such as the Chelsea, Tatton Park, Malvern, Cardiff, and Hampton Court flower shows.
magazine.co.uk were invited by RHS's own The Garden magazine to attend the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, and we were not disappointed by the sheer amount of things to do, see, taste and smell.
The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is the world’s largest annual flower show and celebrated its 25th year in 2015. There were three main zones at the flower show — Grow, Feast, and Inspire. Each zone has an element of its own for people to enjoy.
Grow
Grow featured nursery displays, plant stalls and expert tips and advice from RHS advisors. It featured the Floral Marquee, which showcased award-winning nurseries from the UK and overseas. Visitors could choose from the wide array of different plants on offer from the nurseries, so that they could brighten up their own gardens, businesses, and even buy flowers to use for weddings and special events.
The Plant Village had loads of different stands to browse and shop from. Meanwhile, the Plant Heritage section showcased passionate specialists who were on hand to share their green-thumbed tips and tricks.
There were also four historical gardens within the Grow area, as well as flower boxes which showcased different schemes and growing styles, with an aim to inspire all gardeners.
Feast
This section featured inspiring food-based show gardens, stalls selling delicious, quality foods, produce and plants, and the Feast Cookery Theatre. Those following us on Twitter will have seen we caught up with Masterchef’s Greg Wallace, who gave an entertaining and insightful talk about produce, the show, and his life in general.
Inspire
Inspire was our favourite part of the Flower Show. As the name suggests, the section aimed to inspire visitors to push their gardening boundaries and be more innovative.
There were plenty of gardens to choose from — show gardens, summer gardens, world gardens and conceptual gardens — all beautiful and interesting in their own way. The RHS dedicated area was a great spot for advice, information and fresh ideas for visitors’ own gardens and outdoor spaces.
We absolutely LOVED the Festival of Roses. A massive marquee, filled to the brim with award-winning roses. The fragrance filling the area was overwhelmingly beautiful, and you could have easily spent a fortune filling your garden with the blooms on display.
Further inspiration was found in the Floristry Marquee, where talented florists and floral designers showcased their art. For the shopaholics there were not only plenty of trade stands selling garden accessories and ornaments, but also the Country Living Magazine Pavilion where artists and craftspeople were selling stylish products.
In the Celebrity Theatre, Simon King discussed the importance of native flora and nectar-rich flowers to bring pollinating insects. This was part of a wider talk on bringing wildlife into gardens and allotments.
We had a wonderful time at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and feel incredibly inspired! It has just been announced that Chatsworth House will be a venue for a new RHS Flower Show, to be held from 7 to 11 June, 2017. Great news for home and garden lovers in Derbyshire and the surrounding area.
Love gardening? Why not subscribe to the RHS’s own magazine, The Garden, as you’ll also get free RHS membership as well as the monthly magazine. Or browse through all the other gardening magazines at magazine.co.uk here.
