rhs hampton Court palaCe
floWer shoW
Special 25th anniversary celebrations at the Great Garden Festival
On the 30 June – 5 July, we saw the world’s biggest
annual flower show, run by the Royal Horticultural
Society (RHS), return to the grounds of Hampton
Court Palace in Surrey to celebrate the best in
gardening through an eclectic mix of gardens,
displays and shopping, as well as a very special
silver anniversary.
There was a lovely range of exciting displays to
mark the 25th year of RHS Hampton Court Palace
Flower Show, including a 30 x 30m maze, which
will greet visitors at the entrance to Thames Gate.
The maze, designed by Tony Smith, will incorporate
a mix of turf and hedging in celebration of the
anniversary. An exclusive silver anniversary turf
sculpture, in partnership with Rolawn, and a giant
floral birthday cake courtesy of Ball Colegrave will
also form part of the celebrations.
This year a new zone was introduced to the Show
as Feast replaces Escape to create, with Inspire and
Grow, three zoned areas:
In the Inspire zone, visitors can enjoy seven
Conceptual Gardens following the theme of
sensations, which will create an immersive and
interactive experience.
Grow will provide keen gardeners with access
to a range of nursery displays, flower beds
and plants for sale, as well as four new Historic
Gardens.
The indulgent Feast zone will house all edible
and grow-your-own exhibits, an array of food
stands, and the ever-popular Cookery Theatre,
which this year includes a pop-up Children’s’
Cookery Class to teach kids the importance of
a balanced diet.
World-class gardens ranged from the inspiring
designs in the larger-scale Show Gardens to
compact Summer Gardens and an exciting new
category – World Gardens – which will transport
visitors around the globe.
56 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 14