RHS Show Gardens

Creating gardens at both the Malvern and Hampton Court RHS Shows has been a fantastic experience. It’s a chance to really be creative and share our designs with a wider audience.

RHS Malvern 2024

The Grand Appeal Garden

The Grand Appeal Garden was designed as a place for childlike exploration and adventure. A cabin nestled in woodland-inspired planting was included as an escape from the world for the whole family. Established paths were coupled with clearings running through the planting, encouraging people to travel off the beaten path. Simple hard landscaping was used in the garden, guiding visitors’ attention towards the shade-loving planting, with ferns and soft blue and white flowers creating a lush and calming space. We were delighted to be awarded an RHS silver medal and you can read about the experience in our Malvern ‘best bits’ blog.

The Grand Appeal is the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children’s charity. It provides equipment and support for patients, families and staff at the children’s hospital in Bristol, including offering places for families to stay when their child is in hospital. It’s this idea of giving families the chance to be together that inspired the design of the garden.

View of the garden from the front - credit RHS
A view to the lodge along the self-binding gravel path - credit RHS
Brunnera petals on the oak set path
Water trough amongst the ferns and aquilegias
Living willow tunnel
Bark chip paths and log pile
Tripod bug hotel
Lush, woodland-inspired planting
Dead hedge boundary around the garden
The garden illustration - credit @tommym00n

Plant List

The plants used in the garden were woodland inspired, with lots of ferns and textured foliage. The colour palette was kept simple and calming, with just whites and blues.

Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii (West Himalayan birch)

Betula utilis ‘Snow Queen’ (Himalayan birch)

Asplenium scolopendrium (hart's tongue fern)

Dryopteris affinis 'Cristata' (scaly male fern 'Cristata')

Matteuccia struthiopteris (shuttlecock fern)

Polystichum setiferum (soft shield fern)

Polystichum setiferum ‘Plumosum Densum’ (soft shield fern)

Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Alba' (white bleeding heart/dicentra)

Vinca minor f. alba (white lesser periwinkle)

Trachelospermum jasminoidies (star jasmine)

RHS Hampton Court 2023

Nature’s Captivating Cacophany

We were part of the first year of pocket planted mini gardens at Hampton Court and the theme that year was ‘sensory’. Our exhibit was called ‘Nature’s Captivating Cacophony’ and was a space that highlighted the ways our sense of sound can be awakened in the garden. This might be through attracting noisy bumble bees and other pollinators with pollen and nectar rich flowers, the rustle of leaves and grasses in the wind, integrating moving water features or the rattle of dried seedheads. We hope the exhibit encouraged people to linger longer in their garden to enjoy more than just the sights and scents. You can read more about the experience in our Hampton Court blog.

Plant List

This garden used lots of wafting grasses, with plants like the foxgloces, teasels and phormium emerging between to give height and structure. The colours were cream and pale yellow with dark pink accents.