Focus on young designers, show gardens and bug
Plant lovers descended on Cheshire from July 17-21 as the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park celebrated all things gardening with new features and design innovation.
More than 5,000 dahlia blooms featuring five different varieties met visitors. The new Dig In area featured a cookery and gardening theatre, demos galore in the Propagation Station, Edible Allotments and Vintage Tractors. Read more about the RHS Young Designer 2018.
Back to Back Gardens
The quirky 6m x 4m designs were full of take-home inspiration ideal for back gardens or small green spaces. They did well to match 2018’s Bee’s Gardens: The Penumbra, which won gold, Best Back to Back Garden and Best Construction Award.
Colleagues of BBC North West Tonight’s Dianne Oxberry, who died of ovarian cancer earlier this year, created The Sunshine Garden in her memory. Created by Lee Burkhill, the garden showed how even the smallest space can be bright, uplifting and enjoyed whatever the weather. Dianne’s garden featured meteorology equipment in a nod to the popular weather presenter.
A specially grown rose created by Rosen Tantau and launched by Fryer’s Roses was at the heart of the garden. Florida Sunset was named by Dianne’s husband, Ian Hindle, in memory of their family holidays in Florida. For every rose sold, £1 goes to the Dianne Oxberry Trust. The garden now resides at Wirral Hospice, which offers free care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. Other plots included The Perfumer’s Garden by Charlie Adams. This highlighted how urban spaces can be transformed by fragrant planting.
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park – Feature Gardens
Jane Bingham and Penny Hearn returned with their Let’s Go Fly a Kite Garden to mark 25 years of the Children Today Charitable Trust. Andrew Walker illustrated the work of Start in Salford, a creative therapy charity providing activities in aid of mental health. One feature garden offered an insight into the latest RHS Garden in Bridgewater, now open in Salford. Designed by Leon Davis and Peter Gregory of Flint Landscapes, the walkthrough garden had elements reused at RHS Bridgewater.
Creepy crawlies in the Dome
Invertebrates took over the huge Dome as The Bug Hub explored how some insects interact in our own gardens. 2019 marked 50 years of the iconic children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This was celebrated with giant fruit and caterpillar structures, 24 bug-inspired School Garden designs and children’s activities. The Very Hungry Caterpillar also starred in a Back to Back garden.
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park – RHS Young Designer Competition
New talent and design remained at the heart of the show. Four finalists were mentored by award-winning designers Mark Gregory and Catherine MacDonald from Landform Consultants. Read about the Young Designers at the show.
Floral Marquee, Plant Hub and talks
The Floral Marquee and Plant Hub – home to Plant Societies and Plant Heritage – had displays from the best nurseries, including 2019’s Master Growers Chrysanthemum Direct. The Plant Hub featured the new The Plantsman Magazine Potting Bench & Book Corner. More than 200 talks and workshops took place in eight locations. Mr Plant Geek, Michael Perry, chatted about all things bugs in a dedicated theatre.
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park information
- Venue: Tatton Park, Mereheath Lane, Knutsford, Cheshire
- Tickets: Call 0844 995 9664 or visit www.rhs.org.uk/tatton.
Look back at past RHS Tatton Park press day pictures.
