RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019

The RHS Hampton Court flower showThe RHS Hampton Court flower show, now renamed as the Hampton Court flower 'festival'.

The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show is the largest flower show in the world, yet retains a more relaxed feel than the Chelsea show, and is definitely more for the average gardener.

Where does the time go? Another year and another Hampton Court Palace flower show to look forward to, or rather, "Hampton Court Palace flower festival"; as this year it's been renamed and rebranded!

Whatever it's now called, depending on where you live, you will certainly need to plan your travel arrangements carefully to ensure you get to the show nice and early, as being the world's largest flower show, there is so much to see and do.

Hampton is a gardener's garden show, and being in July, the weather is usually very pleasant.

Whilst the Chelsea flower show traditionally attracts the celebrities however, the Hampton Court flower show never seemed to do the same, which never made sense as it is such a beautiful setting and a much bigger show than Chelsea. This seems to be changing, perhaps as gardening has become more popular and even trendy, as the list of celebrities attending the show has grown every year. A boon for anybody wanting to celebrity spot.

The Duchess of Cambridge at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court flower show.

This year the celebrity highlight was undoubtedly the Duchess of Cambridge, who brought her garden over from the Chelsea show, but significantly increased in size due to the additional space available at the show.

The show itself was a little confusing this year though and not terribly well planed with regards to the gardens. Perhaps change is good, but there just seemed to be less gardens and more eating outlets and commercial stands. At one end of the show ground for example there were two gardens which felt orphaned from the rest of the show.

The large show gardens were wonderful however.

Show Gardens

Large Show Gardens

The Cancer Research Garden at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court flower showThe Cancer Research Garden was absolutely stunning. Designed by Tom Simpson, it won a Gold medal, and the people's choice Best Show garden and Best construction awards; all very well deserved.

The planting was exemplary, with vibrant colours and a sweeping design leading you down towards the central water feature. The garden was packed with colour, designed to lift the spirits of anyone going through the trauma of cancer.

The Smart Meter Garden, which was designed by Matthew Childs and won a Gold medal and the Best Show garden award, was also one of the show's highlights.

This garden was instantly relaxing, partly due to the host of Silver Birches (popular in many of the show's gardens) running through it. Soft, predominantly green, planting made the garden feel cool on a hot summer's day, which with global warming we seem to getting a lot more of.

The Dream of the Indianos Garden at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court flower showAround the corner from the tranquil shade of the Smart Meter garden you were greeted with the complete opposite. A vibrant pink house in the centre of The Dream of the Indianos Garden, a tropical garden which was designed by Rose McMonigall and won a Silver medal.

With a couple of palm trees standing proudly in the front garden, you could just imagine living in the pink house with its ornate ironwork staircase and water feature surrounded by dark Yews, all giving it a distinct feel of grandeur.

Small Show Gardens

One garden however, that just seemed to have too much of an eclectic mix of bright colours and plants, was The Therapeutic Garden; not somewhere you would want to spend a long time in. Maybe for people with dementia, anxiety or mental health issues (which was who it was designed for) it would be perfect though. Interestingly, it wasn't awarded any medal.

The A Place to Meet Garden at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court flower show

A garden that was the direct opposite however, was the A Place to Meet Garden (pictured right) which was designed by Cherry Carmen and won a Silver medal.

This garden had a very contemporary feel with a distinct softness of planting. It had an area to sit and relax in, and a little plunge pool in which you could enjoy the calm planting. This garden also featured the ubiquitous Silver Birch tree, which gave some wonderful dappled shade.

Marquees

Floral Marquee

Senecio 'Angel Wings' at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court flower showAs always, the Floral Marquee was outstanding, where, without a doubt, you can always be sure of finding something new for your garden that you have not seen before. A popular new addition being Senecio 'Angel Wings' (pictured right) which seemed to be used in many of the show gardens this year.

Rose Marquee

The Rose Marquee was a little disappointing this year. Being such a quintessentially British plant, many people will look forward to this display, but it just didn't seem to have the wow factor at all this year unfortunately.

All in all, the show was highly enjoyable and is undoubtedly a highlight of the gardening calendar. It was a bit confusing in its layout, and every year it seems to be less and less about gardens and more and more about the trade stands and shopping opportunities. A sign of the times perhaps?

 
 

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